Innovative Mangrove Planting in Indonesia to Save Forests
Doi Bangun, a government employee in Indonesia, doesn’t waste his free time by sitting unnecessarily. He is not willing to waste time, even getting stuck in traffic jams on the streets of Jakarta.
Whenever he gets time, he walks to the nearby coastline. There, he planted mangrove saplings by walking in the water.
Doi, 30, is a volunteer of Hutan Itu Indonesia (Forest Is Indonesia), an environmental organization. The organization connects with young urbanites, educates them about the importance of the country’s forests, and inspires them to join forest conservation efforts.
Doi lives in the city of Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta. He said, “When you think of Paris, the Eiffel Tower floats in front of your eyes; when you think of New York, you see the Statue of Liberty, but when people think of Indonesia, what do they see? This forest belongs to us. We have such rich forests.”
Indonesia is home to one-third of the world’s biodiverse rainforests (evergreen forests). Deforestation, planting palm oil trees, mining, collecting raw materials for paper making, and urbanization have increased the risk of destroying forests in recent decades.
Due to deforestation, the global goals to combat climate change cannot be met. Plants absorb one-third of the carbon dioxide attributed to global warming. When they decompose or burn, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases.
Indonesia ranks fourth in deforestation
The rate of deforestation in Indonesia has decreased in recent years due to stricter policies and better preparedness to prevent fires. Indonesia is the fourth-highest country in tropical forest destruction in 2022, according to a study by the World Resources Institute (WRI).
A survey in 2015 by consulting firm Diameter showed that many Indonesians, especially young people, have little awareness or interest in their country’s forests. A YouGov survey also found that by 2019, 18 percent of the population in Indonesia did not accept that climate change was happening. This rate is the highest in the world.
Environmental organizations complain that government officials and officials of lucrative industries often harass climate awareness activists. These officials claim that environmentalists are disrupting economic growth.
Motivating young people to conserve forests is vital for the sustainable management of natural resources, according to Arif Wijaya, project director of WRI Indonesia.
Youth initiative
Hutan Itu Indonesia was founded in 2016 out of concern for deforestation. The organization has been doing different things to raise awareness about forest protection.
They have organized concerts, made short films, and planted mangrove saplings. Andre Christian, co-founder and video producer of Hutan Itu Indonesia, expressed concern about the challenge of raising awareness about forests among people, especially the younger generation and preserving their integrity.
Indonesia’s Hutan Itu is known for curating an array of captivating concerts. Many musicians perform songs they wrote themselves after traveling to the rainforest. The organization operates in eight provinces of Indonesia. They depend heavily on young volunteers.
Andre Christian, co-founder of Hutan Itu Indonesia and video producer, said, ‘Who can make Indonesia better? Young people They are the future.
In 2020, Hutun Itu Indonesia organized a three-day boot camp outside Jakarta.
Young people are taught how to protect forests. Around 50 youth participated in this camp. Doi is one of them. There, he formed his organization to develop environmental awareness.
He named it ‘Forest is our friend’. He established this organization to create awareness about forests and nature among the youth online or in educational institutions.
Indonesia is home to the largest mangrove forest in the world. These mangrove forests can absorb four to five times more carbon than tropical forests.
A scheme was launched in Indonesia in 2021. It aims to restore 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of lowland areas by 2024.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo sees mangrove forest conservation as a priority. Doi feels that the role of youth is vital for forest conservation in the coming days.
He said activities like diving and walking in the mud are fun for the youth. Doi also said that the youth published pictures of their activities online. It also inspired other young people.
