press release Riau will have a mangrove ecosystem restoration design

Pekanbaru, 23 July 2020 – Riau Province will soon have a mangrove ecosystem restoration design for the coastal area. Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN), with the support of PT. Chevron Pacific Indonesia (PT CPI), has completed a study of mangrove ecosystems as the basis for establishing future restoration strategies and methods.

The results of the study were presented at the "Online Workshop on Mangrove Ecosystem Study Results, Ecosystem Restoration Design, and Strengthening the Alliance for Mangrove Ecosystem Restoration (MERA)". The activity was opened by the Governor of Riau, represented by the Head of the Department of Environment and Forestry (DLHK) Mamun Murod and participated by stakeholders related to mangrove conservation and coastal management in Riau.

"The need to have an integrated and sustainable coastal ecosystem management strategy, especially the mangrove ecosystem is critical for Riau Province. Therefore, we welcome the implementation of this workshop to build synergy in integrated coastal management planning in Riau, "said Riau Governor Syamsuar. The Governor also thanked the MERA Program for bringing together the parties who joined the MERA Formation Team in Riau and initiated the formation of the Riau Province Mangrove Ecosystem Management Strategy Coordination Team.

This July, the Governor of Riau has formed the Riau Province Regional Mangrove Ecosystem Management Strategy Coordination Team. This step can support the acceleration of Riau's integrated coastal management through the MERA program framework. MERA is a national multi-stakeholder platform for restoring mangrove ecosystems in Indonesia.

"In the last few years, we have observed that coastal abrasion has become a serious concern in Riau Province. PT. Chevron Pacific Indonesia would like to contribute to restore the coastline in Riau, which in the long run is expected to provide a positive ecological, social and economic impact," said Sukamto Tamrin, GM Corporate Affairs Asset of PT CPI. The environment sector is one of PT CPI's main focus in community development programs”.

Currently, MERA's work location in Riau Province is Dumai City and Bengkalis Regency, in accordance with YKAN's cooperation with PT CPI which began in July 2019. "To restore the mangrove ecosystem, an restoration design is needed. It has to be based on strong data, information and scientific considerations," explained YKAN Executive Director Herlina Hartanto. In this case, several studies and studies have become the basis for determining restoration strategies and methods, such as workshops on conservation action planning, participatory mapping, stakeholder mapping, mangrove ecosystem monitoring, and hydrooseanographic studies. The design of the restoration also needs to be reviewed and formulated with various related parties in order to achieve the overall objectives.

The coastal and marine areas of Riau Province, in addition to having fisheries and marine potential, also have a high potential of mangrove forests, covering an area of ± 175,000 ha (BPS data for 2017). With this potential, Riau Province is expected to become a research and development center for mangrove ecosystems on the island of Sumatra. However, inadequate capacity of the environment impacted in the decreasing function of the mangrove forest.

Ecosystem-based solutions in the context of climate change can provide 'triple-win' benefits, namely reducing cost-effective disaster risks, supporting biodiversity conservation, and improving the economy and human well-being. MERA is expected to be the answer for an integrated and collaborative coastal management that unites all parties concerned about the preservation of mangroves.

In managing mangrove ecosystems, in addition to physical rehabilitation, partnership development is also needed. "The Government of Indonesia encourages the formation of partnership forums in the context of mangrove conservation as well as MERA. Hopefully, in every region including Riau Province there is a mangrove management coordination team and the Regional Mangrove Working Group (KKMD)," said Deputy for Maritime Resources Coordinating Ministry of Maritime and Investment Coordinating Ministry Safri Burhanuddin This is in line with the management of mangrove ecosystems which are oriented towards integrated and sustainable programs”.