To conclude the EU Climate Diplomacy Week 2021 in Indonesia, EU delegations showcased their commitment and support in tackling climate change by taking a mangrove conservation trip to Angke Nature Park with Bumi Journey by CarbonEthics. The visit, which took place on Saturday (16/10/2021), aimed to raise public awareness on the global importance of Indonesia’s mangroves in tackling climate change and to engage with local organizations dedicated to climate action.
Indonesia is home to approximately 3 million hectares of mangrove forests or 23% of the world’s mangrove population. Over the past 30 years, 40% of Indonesia’s mangrove forests have been lost to deforestation. About 52,000 hectares of mangrove forest in Indonesia – roughly the size of New York – disappear every year.
There was a point when Jakarta had 1,000 hectares of mangrove forests, but only 327 hectares of it still stand today. This can be attributed to changes in land use to fish farms, industrial estates, transportation & recreation infrastructure, tin mining, and agriculture. Many also think that mangrove forests are an eyesore and useless, so they cut them down and turn them into fish farms instead.
Against that backdrop, the mangrove conservation trip to Angke Nature Park was held as part of the EU Diplomacy Week. The Nature Park is home to at least 47 animal species and at least 100 vegetation species, a perfect place to learn about mangroves’ role in sustaining the coastal ecosystem.
Written by Adila Ilma
Edited by Faiz Karim