This year, we sunk 1,920 units of artificial coral reef at 11 different points in the Bangka Sea.
Pangkalpinang (ANTARA) - State-owned tin mining firm PT Timah Tbk has teamed up with Bangka Belitung University (UBB) to install 1,920 units of artificial coral reefs in the waters off Bangka Island.



The collaboration is part of its commitment to reclaim former tin core mining sites in the sea.



"This year, we sunk 1,920 units of artificial coral reef at 11 different points in the Bangka Sea," UBB marine science lecturer Indra Ambalika Syari informed in Pangkalpinang, Bangka Belitung (Babel) Islands province, on Wednesday.



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PT Timah Tbk is working with not only UBB but also the coastal community, particularly traditional fishermen, to conserve the marine ecosystem, he said.



"Alhamdulillah (Thank God), this marine reclamation program has made progress in creating a new habitat or substitute habitat for marine biotas in the company's operational areas," he added.



He said the company's tin mining activities impact the marine ecosystem and thus, appropriate steps are needed to restore the marine environment.



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"The marine reclamation activity can increase potentials in a sustainable way. Mining is a non-renewable activity. To make the potential renewable, a marine reclamation program is needed to offer marine tourism and fishery business," he added.



PT Timah’s corporate secretary, Abdullah Umar Baswedan, said the reclamation is the mandate of a regulation and the realization of the company's responsibility toward environmental management through the arrangement of former onshore and offshore mining sites by involving and empowering the local people.



"As a mining company, we realize a change in landscape. For its part, the company is consistent in conducting a reclamation program and conserving biodiversity. In its production process, the company always prioritizes the principles of prudence to minimize its operational impact," he added.


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Translator: Aprionis, Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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