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  Jakarta Post 26 Jun 07
Mangroves vanishing from Tangerang's coastal areas
Multa Fidrus

Mangrove forests that once protected more than 50 kilometers of coastline in the northern part of Tangerang regency are rapidly disappearing, largely due to the economic activities of local residents.

Along coastal areas in the Mauk, Pakuhaji and Teluk Naga districts, the regency once had 10,000 hectares of mangrove forests according to data from the Tangerang Environmental Management Agency.

"Only 3,000 hectares of mangrove forests remain, and these are on state-owned PT Perhutani land," said Syatiri, the head of forest conservation at the agency.

Syatiri said many local residents do not understand the importance of preserving mangrove forests and convert them for other uses, including as fish and shrimp farms or sand quarries.

"Residents leave mangrove swamps in their converted state when they are no longer of any of use to them," Syatiri said. "The destruction of mangrove forests is primarily caused by people, but a small percentage of damage is caused by natural factors such as flooding," he said.

He said the deterioration of these forests has resulted in worsening erosion along the coastline, as mangrove trees used to prevent erosion caused by rising tides and large waves.

Syatiri said the administration tried to renew its conservation effort last year by planting 9,000 mangrove trees along coastal areas in Mauk and Teluk Naga, with little success.

"Local residents cut down the trees because they didn't know they were planted to protect the coastline," he said.

The agency's head of land conservation, Ohan Johansyah, said while it is difficult to disseminate information about the importance of mangrove trees, residents need to get involved in conservation efforts for their own sake.

"The waves during seasonal transition periods are quite high. With no mangrove forests to act as buffer zones, up to 500 hectares of farming land may be hit by high tides," Ohan said.

Coastal communities in the northern part of the regency are also at increased risk in the event of a tsunami, he said.

The Tangerang regental administration said at least Rp 110 billion would be required to build water breakers along the most affected areas of coastline, but currently only Rp 6 billion is available for the project.

Environmentalist Sumantri said many mangrove forests in the northern part of the regency started to vanish long ago due to erosion.

"The reforestation drive must be carried out immediately because the regency is facing serious erosion problems. Only reforestation can help minimize the impact of erosion," he said
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