Bantul’s Residents Plant Mangroves: Central Java, Indonesia

By Wombat | August 7th, 2006 | No Comments

Residents of a windswept section of coastline in Bantul, Yogyakarta, are borrowing from age-old wisdom to protect themselves from the hazard of erosion.

With the help of an NGO, they planted mangroves along Samas beach to serve as a natural buffer from the elements nine months ago. But they then faced another problem of marauding buffaloes.

At a recent community meeting in Baros hamlet, Tirtohargo village, it was agreed that a buffalo owner would have to pay a fine of Rp 5,000 (about 54 U.S. cents) for each mangrove destroyed.

“If there’s a buffalo trampling on or eating a mangrove, we’ll count how many plants are ruined, file the report and demand the owner to pay the fine,” said Warsono, a resident who volunteers to take care of about four hectares of the mangrove forest.

The project was jointly initiated by residents and Relung non-governmental organization to serve as a windbreak and curb erosion.

The grandfather of four said buffaloes had freely roamed the coastline before the fine system was implemented, and only 100,000 of the originally planted 250,000 trees survived.

“With this deal, and by imposing fines, we hope the trees can survive,” Warsono said.

Relung coordinator Muhammad Arif said the pilot project to plant mangroves in Opak river estuary in Bantul started in 2003 to determine if they could survive.

The project was continued in 2004 and 2005, with more trees planted to shield the coastline from the elements.

Muhammad said the move was made before the Aceh tsunami in December 2004, and no thought had been given to the threat of the giant waves. “But it turns out that mangrove can serve as a barrier to waves.”

He said the mangrove forest would provide other benefits, such as a good breeding ground for fish and also as a tourist attraction.

Along with other locals, Warsono has allowed 3,000 square meters of his land for the planting of mangrove seedlings.

Residents plant the seeds in small plastic bags provided by the NGO. They receive Rp 50 for each seed they cultivate and Rp 100 for the planting of a tree.

“Until now, we’ve planted 400,000 more trees, and spread them to four different locations — Bantul, Kulonprogo, Purworejo and Kebumen,” he said.

Apart from mangroves, residents along the southern coastline, stretching about 10 kilometers from Samas to Pandansimo, have also planted thousands of pine trees.

Panijo, a 37-year-old farmer and fisherman in Poncosari, Bantul, said the pine trees were proving an excellent windbreak for his land.

Slamet Susanto