96 percent of C. Java mangroves damaged: agency

Suherdjoko ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Semarang   |  Sun, 08/02/2009 6:23 PM  |  National

Restoration: Participants plant mangrove seeds in aquaculture ponds during the International Mangrove Jamboree in Mangunharjo village, Semarang, on Sunday. (JP/Suherdjoko)

Illegal lodging and baseless industry development are major factors leading to the widespread damage of mangroves in Central Java, says the provincial forestry agency.

Data from the agency shows that 96.95 percent of a total of 35,338 hectares of mangrove land are damaged, 61 percent of which is suffering from serious devastation.

Head of the agency, Sri Puryanto Karto Soedarmo, said Sunday that tourism and residential development conducted without proper environmentally-based conservation measures had caused the mangroves to be depleted quickly.

To anticipate further devastation, around 350 participants from the International Mangrove Jamboree planted 60,000 mangrove seeds alongside an aquaculture pond at Mangunharjo village, Semarang, on Sunday.

“Mangrove conditions around Semarang coastal areas are becoming worrisome. From the village's 226 hectares of land, for instance, only 70 percent of them are still able to produce,” said Abdul Aziz,  head of the event organization.
 

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