"Small islands in NTB are in danger of disappearing in the next 5-10 years," the province's regional assistant, Fathul Gani, stated during a tree planting and beach cleanup activity here on Saturday.
He pointed out that some top tourist destinations in the province, such as Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air, are also in danger of disappearing owing to the rising sea level.
These three islands, populated by tourists, are not surrounded by abrasion protection walls, so they are at risk of drowning due to the climate change-induced rising sea levels.
These protection walls can be in the form of mangrove trees, so Gani invited the community to protect the environment by planting trees and not throwing waste into the sea.
He said this aims to maintain the sustainability of future generations.
"If not us, who else will care about the environment," he stressed.
A scientific journal published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Center for Environmental Information stipulates that the global average sea level has risen by more than 20 cm since 1880.
In 2023, the global average sea level set a new record high at 101.4 mm above the 1993 levels.
According to the NTB Regional Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPD) for 2025-2045, the local government has a vision to become an advanced, strong, safe, sustainable, and prosperous archipelagic province.
There are 401 small islands apart from the two large islands in NTB, namely Lombok Island and Sumbawa Island. These hundreds of small islands have huge potential to support the province's income per capita.
Related news: Ministry intensifies tree planting to anticipate climate change
Translator: Sugiharto P, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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