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Degraded, polluted reefs, mangroves threaten nation's coasts
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A community event of mangrove planting held by local communities, including Earth Hour Denpasar, Bali Deaf Community and Bali Edukasi, takes place in Tuban, Bali, in 2015. (Komunita.id/-)
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ndonesia's coastal areas and seas are threatened by the exploitation of natural resources and environmental pressures, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya said on Monday.
Siti said out of 2.5 million hectares of coral reefs in Indonesia, or 18 percent of total coral reefs in the world, 30.45 percent of them were in poor condition. From 2.9 million hectares of mangrove forests, or 25 percent of such forests in the world, 40 percent suffered degradation.
Furthermore, an estimated 0.48 million to 1.29 million metric tons of plastic garbage is littered, eventually crowding the nation's coasts, which has placed Indonesia second only to China in terms of the amount of plastic garbage found in the sea.
Siti said as quoted by Antara news agency her office had worked on reducing and managing garbage. The ministry recorded 3,533 units of community trash banks across Indonesia.
The ministry also replanted mangroves and helped build wastewater treatment plants in several fishermen villages across the country. (evi)
