Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Environment Ministry will coordinate with related ministries/institutions to evaluate reclamation activities in Pari Island, Jakarta, to determine the damage they caused to mangroves and coral reefs in the area.

The ministry's deputy for pollution and environmental damage control, Rasio Ridho Sani, said on Thursday that his party is currently investigating the environmental impact of the damage to mangroves and coral reefs caused by development activities in the area.

He assured that the ministry will team up with other ministries, institutions, and local governments to handle the damage and conduct reclamation activities in the area and also other areas.

"We will coordinate with related parties, including local government or the Jakarta provincial government," he informed.

On the same occasion, the ministry's deputy for law enforcement, Rizal Irawan, said that besides handling the environmental impact, his party will also involve experts in calculating the losses caused by the activity.

The calculation will cover the environmental, economic, and social losses due to the dredging of 62 square meters of sea up to a depth of 3 meters, which was found to have damaged seagrass beds and coral reefs, he added.

"We are looking forward to calculating the losses. However, it will be carried out by the expert team. We do not want to be careless," he informed.

Earlier, the residents of Pari Island held a protest after a company carried out sand dredging activities on January 17, 2025, for the construction of a tourist pier and floating cottages.

The activity led to the felling of 40 thousand mangrove trees planted by residents over an area of 1.37 hectares in the last three years to prevent abrasion and tidal flooding.

The dredging was also found to have damaged coral reefs and seagrass beds.

Therefore, the ministry stopped the operation and decided to restore the mangrove trees.

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Translator: Prisca Triferna V, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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