It all started when she and her husband took a vacation to her hometown in Kampung Friwen, where she discovered to her shock that mangrove forests were severely degraded.

‘“Who damaged the forests?’ I asked my friends and neighbors, but I got no answer,” she recalled. “I imagined how the fate of housewives and children would be without mangroves.”

Loesye was speaking at a public discussion on mangrove issues held by the Peatland and Mangrove Rehabilitation Agency (BRGM) to mark the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.

Themed “Mangrove for the Future”, the event also featured Mangrove Talk, a platform providing “a space for local communities to share their accounts and experiences in their efforts to rehabilitate mangroves in their regions”, said BRGM Secretary Ayu Dewi Utari.

Separate from the public discussion, Mangrove Talk enabled members of grassroots and village communities whom the BRGM had invited to present their authentic, firsthand accounts to participants.

The BRGM, which engages local communities in its mangrove rehabilitation program, felt it was necessary to present “local champions” that have played a pivotal role in rehabilitating Indonesia’s coastal mangrove ecosystem.

During Mangrove Talk, the agency presented three local figures from its working area: Rudi Hartono from West Kalimantan, Loesye Fainno from Southwest Papua and Yudi Amsoni from the Bangka Belitung Islands.

Hailing from diverse backgrounds, all three have demonstrated persistence and resilience in protecting their local mangrove ecosystems.

Rudi is from Sungai Kupah village in West Kalimantan, and is the recipient of the Kalpataru Award 2022 in the pioneer category.

A graduate of Tanjungpura University, Rudi plays a big role in invigorating youths in his village to contribute to protecting mangroves.

Although he has been frequently ridiculed for planting mangroves and labeled as “useless”, Rudi has improved the well-being of rural communities in his area by establishing 65 home nurseries.

“The mangrove ecosystem has saved my village from erosion. This has motivated my friends and me to continually safeguard the mangrove ecosystem,” he told Mangrove Talk.

“In 2022, I was granted the Kalpataru Award. This is proof that what I have been doing has not been in vain.

“It’s better to do a small thing consistently to better the natural environment, rather than knowing 1,000 theories,” he added.

Rudi urged all youths to take part in rehabilitating mangroves and conserving existing mangrove forests to secure the environment for the next generations.

“If not us young people, who will guard and protect the mangrove forests?” he said.

Meanwhile, Loesye is a former sales marketing manager of a hotel in Papua who decided to return to her hometown of Kampung Friwen in Southwest Papua.

She became concerned about the loss of local mangrove forests area due to the local community harvesting them for their day-to-day needs, knowing that the degradation of the area’s mangrove forests posed a real threat to the survival of local communities, even humanity as a whole.

Loesye therefore initiated an empowerment program for women in Kampung Friwen to harvest and process mangrove plants into value-added products, such as food and beauty products, without harming the greater mangrove ecosystem.

She expressed her hope that the empowerment program would spread and inspire other communities to take advantage of the economic value of mangroves without degrading mangrove forests.

Yudi is a fisherman and a mangrove conservation activist who is recognized for his firmness in combating illegal tin mining in his hometown of Sukamdani village in East Belitung,

Through his persistent endeavors, he has succeeded in protecting 200 hectares of the last mangrove forests left in his village, making an invaluable contribution in saving the mangrove ecosystem in Belitung that has been threatened with degradation due to rampant illegal mining.

The mangroves in Belitung were “sick”, Yudi said, and underlined that it was of paramount importance to change the mindset of local communities, especially in East Belitung, from converting to conserving mangroves and to recognize their economic value.

“Most communities in East Belitung are not aware of the economic value that the mangrove ecosystem offers and therefore, education or counseling on the mangrove ecosystem was highly crucial,” he said.

Conserving the mangrove ecosystem is a concerted effort that involves all parties, including law enforcement, according to Yudi, especially given the rampant illegal mining of tin over the past eight years in local mangrove forests, which were located in protected areas.

Continuing, Yudi explained that embracing illegal tin miners in a collaborative framework could be part of the solution to the massive mangrove conversion taking place in East Belitung.

“For example, local officials and community groups can ask [illegal miners] to jointly develop a kerupuk [fish crackers] business or other mangrove-related ventures, drawing on capital from the government,” he said.

“But stubborn illegal miners should face strict [law enforcement] measures if we are truly committed to protecting the mangrove ecosystem. Indonesia is a nation that abides by the rule of law,” he said.

Yudi has been voluntarily protecting mangroves through activities that include planting and monitoring mangroves, as well as persuading local communities to avoid damaging mangroves.

“If I come across a stubborn individual, I report the case to the [local] police precinct,” he stressed.

“If the report receives no response, I usually turn to social media to [spotlight] the case, which is effective enough to prevent it. But until when will the situation be like this?” he lamented.

Unfortunately, due to limited information and access, these inspiring stories have yet to receive attention from the public at large.

These mangrove fighters from various coastal regions play a significant role in the success of the national mangrove rehabilitation program by localizing their efforts to match community needs. But because they generally work behind the scenes, they often struggle with problems on the ground and lack vital support for their endeavors.

Satyawan Pudyatmoko, natural resources and ecosystem conservation director general at the Environment and Forestry Ministry, told the participants of Mangrove Talk: “Their stories are really inspiring and [they] can serve as a role model for other communities. Although not all people have capabilities like them, voicing their [mission] and having courage to face the challenges in the field is highly important.

“Their high enthusiasm for continuing to safeguard the environment is truly an inspiration for others who possess strong commitment to sustaining the environment.”

Rudi, Loesye and Yudi’s heroic endeavors deserved to be told widely so as to inspire and give rise to a new generation of mangrove fighters, Satyawan added.

“Hopefully, their success and initiatives can be replicated in other areas to give birth to new mangrove fighters in this republic,” Ayu Dewi said.