President Jokowi Inspects Mangrove Forest in Bali

INDUSTRY.co.id - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo, Friday (08/10), inspected mangrove forest in Ngurah Rai Forest Park, Bali province.

In the Forest Park, the President and First Lady walked 500 meters across the mangrove forest area to the observation tower, accompanied by Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Head of Peat and Mangrove Restoration Agency Hartono Prawiraatmaja, Governor of Bali I Wayan Koster, and Vice Minister of Environment and Forestry Alue Dohong.

During the walk, the President and First Lady received information on the mangrove forest area that has been rehabilitated since 1992 from Forest Park Manager Komang Tri.

“The total area of this forest is 268 hectares. It used to be abandoned fish and shrimp farm. It has been rehabilitated since 1992 and it is a success. Now it has 92 species of bird and 33 species of mangrove,” Komang Tri said.

Based on data from Ministry of Environment and Forestry, there are 2,143.97 hectares of mangrove area in Bali province. Out of the area, 19 hectares have rare density and there are 263 hectares of mangrove habitat that can still be planted.

According to Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar, the success of Mangrove Conservation Forest goes hand in hand with the shift from fish farming business to other multibusinesses that are based on mangrove ecosystem, such as capture fisheries, non-timber products derived from mangrove, and tourism.

This measure shows that mangrove ecosystem restoration can boost local and regional economies, she added. This working visit is also expected to give an idea of Indonesia’s green economy achievement and commitment that can be shown to G20 delegates at the 2022 G20 Summit in Bali.