TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Students plant mangroves along Bengkulu waterway to tackle erosion
Dozens of students over the weekend planted hundreds of mangroves along the Sungai Hitam (Black River) in Bengkulu in a bid to improve the region's mangrove ecosystem and protect the area from coastal erosion.
Change Size
A mangrove grows out of the water in an Indonesian sea. Dozens of students over the weekend planted hundreds of mangroves on the Sungai Hitam (Black River) in Bengkulu in a bid to improve the region's mangrove ecosystem and protect the area from coastal erosion. (Shutterstock/File)
D
ozens of students over the weekend planted hundreds of mangroves along the Sungai Hitam (Black River) in Bengkulu in a bid to improve the region's mangrove ecosystem and protect the area from coastal erosion.
Atus Karya Dinata, coordinator of the Health Ministry's polytechnic students group that carried out the activity on Sunday, said the planting aims to strengthen mangrove vegetation at the river mouth.
"We were informed that mangroves here continue to decrease as there are some fishermen who cut the mangroves for materials to dye their boats," Atus said in Bengkulu, as quoted by Antara news agency.
Conducted in conjunction with the Bengkulu Mangrove Community, the activity also marked the commemoration of World Environment Day on June 5.
Read also: Mangrove tourism abundant in Semarang
Atus expressed hope that the planting would inspire local communities and fishermen to participate in maintaining and preserving mangroves in the area.
Mangrove is an important coastal green stronghold against the threat of erosion, Atus said, adding that the area was also a breeding ground for a number of estuarine animals such as crabs and shrimp.
Bengkulu Mangroves Community member Ziyak Uzzikri underlined the importance of enriching mangrove in the Black River for improving the whole ecosystem in the area.
"The disadvantage is this area is not a protected or conservation area, so public awareness about maintaining it is especially important," Ziyak said. (liz/kes)
