"Since 2021, the president has established North Kalimantan as one of the priority provinces that needs to be facilitated in terms of mangrove rehabilitation,” Head of BRGM Hartono remarked here on Monday.
The head of state believes that North Kalimantan is a young province that should be encouraged to become a pilot of green province, as it has green resources that can be managed sustainably in the future.
He explained that North Kalimantan has a mangrove ecosystem spanning an area of 204 thousand hectares as well as 106,135 hectares of area that was earlier a mangrove ecosystem though its function changed to become another ecosystem.
"The mangrove ecosystem in North Kalimantan has been exploited since the 1990s. Human-made ponds were built because there is no alternative source of better livelihood, so the community chose to convert the mangrove ecosystem into ponds," he remarked.
Hartono explained that based on the national mangrove map in 2023, the pond area in North Kalimantan reached 106 thousand hectares, out of which 49 percent are located in the forest area.
"This area is part of the mangrove rehabilitation target in North Kalimantan, with funding support by the World Bank through the Environmental Funding Management Agency (BPDLH)," he remarked.
Meanwhile, the World Bank's Lead Environment Specialist for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Franka Braun, stated that mangrove forests can potentially generate benefits of Rp250 million-Rp800 million per hectare annually if managed sustainably.
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Translator: Lintang P, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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