This activity is a form of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program that encourages sustainable development.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - State-owned construction company PT Waskita Karya (Persero) planted 40 thousand mangrove seeds along the shore of Ketapang Mangrove Park, Tangerang, Banten, as a form of support to environment preservation.

"This activity is a form of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program that encourages sustainable development," Executive Director of Waskita Karya Destiawan Soewardjono noted in a written statement here on Thursday.

There are 250 thousand mangroves comprising 16 types, such as the rhizopora and bruguiera, in an area spanning 14.5 hectares.

The seed-planting support from Waskita will enrich and support mangrove preservation efforts in that region, he remarked.

Soewardjono explained that the company was involved in nurturing the environment, so that it remains preserved and sustainable, as climate changes and carbon emissions had become a global issue.

Hence, the step to plant mangroves became a concrete effort in protecting the land from the threat of abrasion and to bolster the economy of local residents.

"This area has vast potential to develop even further. Mangrove plants could be processed into various consumer products, such as traditional cake or syrup," he explained.

The company also supports the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) around the Ketapang Mangrove Park and opens an opportunity to become a mentee under Waskita Karya, he stated.

Head of Fishery Produce Technology at the Tangerang's Fishery Service Hari Mahardika welcomes the support by Waskita Karya currently that it expects will help mangrove plants to grow even better.

"At the Ketapang Mangrove Park, there are 16 types of mangroves, including the rare breed bruguirea serioptagal," he explained.

"Let us hope that the planted mangroves would grow well, so that they would not just environmentally benefit the shoreline but also economically benefit the local residents through sustainable mangrove utilization," he remarked.

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Translator: Sugiharto P, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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