Indonesia: Mangroves in coastal areas of Pandeglang District are seriously degraded

Mangrove forests in the Carita-Ujung Kulon coastal areas of Pandeglang
District are in seriously degraded conditions, highly increasing the
risks of soil abrasion and tidal floods, a local community leader
said. “Therefore, I have several times proposed the implementation of
a mangrove rehabilitation program in coastal areas,” Busro, chairman
of the Pakidulan Community Forum, said here on Friday.

He said local
fishermen were also complaining that their fish catches had dropped
drastically because mangrove trees as a vital element in fish habitats
had disappeared. Agus, the head of Pandeglang`s marine and fisheries
office, said hopefully local authorities would rehabilitate the
mangrove forests in Pandeglang starting next year. Indonesia`s
mangrove forests constitute 75 percent the total mangrove forests in
Southeast Asia or 27 percent of the world`s. It was reported last year
that around 6.7 million hectares or 70 percent of Indonesia`s mangrove
forest areas measuring a total of 9.4 million hectares were damaged.
Data from the Indonesian forestry ministry showed that 4.5 million
hectares of mangrove areas were moderately damaged, and 2.2 million
hectares seriously degraded. Between 2004 and 2005, the government
managed to rehabilitate 34,601 hectares of mangrove areas, and in 2006
around 2,790 hectares.
http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/12/13/mangrove-forests-in-pandeglang-seriously-damaged/

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