"We are replanting the mangrove forest to protect the coast from existing sea waves, seawater intrusion, and also protect the habitat of species in mangrove forests," the President said in Bebatu village, Sesayap Hilir sub-district, Tana Tidung district, East Kalimantan on Tuesday.
The Head of State received an enthusiastic welcome from the community, environmental activists, and farmer groups who had reached the plantation site before the President arrived.
Speaking to them, Widodo noted that the government is planning to restore 180 thousand hectares of mangrove forests in North Kalimantan.
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He said mangrove forest rehabilitation in North Kalimantan will be scaled up to 600 thousand hectares in the next three years.
"Our target is that in the next three years we will recover it, we will rehabilitate 600 thousand hectares of the total area of our mangrove forest, which is the largest mangrove forest in the world with an area of 3.6 million hectares," the President informed.
Several ambassadors joined the President in the plantation activity: the Czech Ambassador to Indonesia, Jaroslav Dolecek and his wife; Chilean Ambassador to Indonesia, Gustavo Nelson Ayares Ossandron; Finnish Ambassador to Indonesia, Jari Sinkari; Swiss Ambassador to Indonesia, Kurt Kunz; Brazil deputy ambassador to Indonesia, Daniel Barra Ferreira. World Bank country director Satu Kahkonen also participated in the activity.
The President was also accompanied by Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister of State Secretary, Pratikno, North Kalimantan Governor Zainal Arifin Paliwang, and head of Tana Tidung district, Ibrahim Ali.
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Translator: Desca Lidya N, Resinta S
Editor: Suharto
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