Jakarta Post 16 Jun 17;
A Kalimantan-based environmental institution has released findings of an endangered mangrove species discovered within the coastal landscape of Padang Tikar and Dabung in Kubu Raya regency, West Kalimantan.
“The finding of this tumuk putih species, or Bruguiera hainesii, is the first in Indonesia. This type of mangrove previously only existed in Malaysia, Singapore and Papua New Guinea,” said Denni Nurdwiansyah, the program manager of Friends of Coastal Communities (Sampan) Kalimantan as quoted by Antara news agency on Wednesday.
Denni said the species is listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species’s critically endangered category. The species has a population of around 203 trees, 80 of which are found in Malaysia, three in Singapore and 120 in Papua New Guinea.
The community's mangrove specialist Bekti Saputro said the finding indicated that the mangrove ecosystem in Padang Tikar is still healthy and well-preserved.
The mangroves on Padang Tikar’s coast represents 33 percent of the total 202 types of mangrove species recorded in Indonesia, or 47 percent of the 150 types of mangrove species in Kalimantan.
The findings also confirm the status of Kubu Raya regency, especially Padang Tikar, as one of the richest and most complete mangrove ecosystems in Southeast Asia, with a total area of 59,847 hectares. (mas/kes)
