“The mangrove nursery program must be able to empower the surrounding community to work in the mangrove nursery, because this program is a labor-intensive program in the context of mitigating the impact of the pandemic,” TB Haeru Rahayu, director general of marine space management at the KKP, said in a press release issued here on Tuesday.
The mangrove nursery in Pasuruan has primarily been set up to ensure the availability of mangrove seeds to meet the needs of mangrove nurseries and for planting and rehabilitation efforts.
The Mangrove Seed Garden has been built by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries through the directorate general of marine space management using the additional budget for the National Economic Recovery Program (PEN) for the 2020 fiscal year.
The mangrove nursery spans 3,093 square meters and houses 500 thousand seedlings of the species Rhizophora sp.
Mukarim, manager of the mangrove tourism area and mangrove seed garden in Penunggul village, Nguling district, said that in 34 years, he has planted millions of mangrove trees.
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There are 14 species of typical coastal fauna that can be seen in mangrove areas, namely milkfish, mullet, mudskipper, snails, oysters, green clams, lizards, monitor lizards, snakes, white egrets, mangrove crabs, white shrimp, small crabs, and dragonflies, he informed.
“Local fishermen benefit from this increasingly sustainable mangrove, because they catch fish not far from the coast and can sell their catch to visitors,” said Mukarim, who received the Kalpataru award for environmental preservation and the Satya Lencana award for development from former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and President Joko Widodo.
Haeru Rahayu lauded Mukarim for his hard work in planting and preserving mangroves in Penunggul village, Nguling district, Pasuruan.
He said that the Mangrove Center of Excellence Program aims to produce 100 million seedlings for mangrove planting programs in Indonesia.
He emphasized that the KKP is ready to provide support to Mukarim and other communities to develop sustainable mangrove ecotourism and to keep the beach free of rubbish. (INE)
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Translator: M Razi R, Fardah
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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