Conserving Kendal Coastal Areas

KOMPAS/ADITYA PUTRA PERDANA

Wasito

The aridity of the coastal area in Kendal, Central Java, in the mid-2000s drove Wasito (47) to take action. He started planting mangroves on the beach closest to his house. As a result, the mangrove forests are now a natural shield protecting the Kendal coast against environmental disasters.

Wasito actually hails from Demak, also in Central Java. He had moved to Kendal in 1999 because he worked in a shrimp farm company. In Kendal, he met his soul mate, Sulistianingsih. They married in 2002 and live in Kartikajaya village, Patebon district, Kendal, until now.

For years living in Patebon, Wasito saw that the beach there was arid. There were no tree-planting initiatives at all. He did not want Kendal beach to have the same fate as other beaches at several points in Sayung district, Demak, which were claimed by the sea because the land surface continues to fall. He started planting and taking care of mangroves in 2006.

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"At that time, the mangroves were actually grown surrounding the pond, but I wanted the plants to be near the shoreline. If we plant them next to the ponds, are we going to wait for abrasion to arrive there?" Wasito said on Saturday (20/2/2021).

Until now, he commutes about 70 kilometers every day on his motorbike on the Kendal-Demak route.

Wasito, who works at the Demak Public Works Office since 2003, decided to stay in Kendal, so that he could take care of the mangroves. Until now, he commutes about 70 kilometers every day on his motorbike on the Kendal-Demak route.

Over time, Wasito began to invite family members and local residents to participate in planting mangroves on a small scale. At first, the residents were not interested and instead asked, "Why should we plant [mangroves] along the shoreline?"

His family also protested, because they felt Wasito was devoting too much time to the mangroves. Even on weekends, he preferred to take care of the mangroves instead of traveling with his family.

Wasito patiently explained that the mangroves were important to protect the coastline from being swallowed up by abrasion. His explanation was acceptable to his family and a small part of Kartikajaya village residents who usually do activities on the beach or have a coastal culture.

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Wasito\'s persistence eventually attracted a number of volunteers and neighbors. In the end, he was also able to work together with the Kendal Environment Agency and Marine Fisheries Service to plant 5,000-10,000 mangrove seedlings. Some of the seedlings they bought, others they prepared by themselves.

KOMPAS/ADITYA PUTRA PERDANA

Wasito (47) berfoto di depan tanaman mangrove di dekat rumahnya di Desa Kartika Jaya, Kecamatan Patebon, Kabupaten Kendal, Jawa Tengah, Sabtu (26/12/2020).

Thanks to Wasito\'s encouragement, the residents became more aware about the importance of conservation in 2009. Some volunteered to plant mangroves, including in front of their houses. They had to, because during the rainy season, roof tiles of their house were swept away by the wind. Moreover, high tide submerged the houses every two years or so.

While he enjoyed taking care of mangroves, he was tricked by someone from out of town. The scammer ordered 20,000 mangrove seedlings at Rp 800 per seedling from Wasito, who had started a mangrove nursery business in 2006. The seedlings were delivered and planted, but they were never paid for.

After that experience, he gave up the nursery business. I want to look for propagules (a vegetative structure that will detach from its parent). We have asked for polybags or cooperation with government agencies," said Wasito.

Collaboration

In addition to residents and government agencies, Wasito also collaborates with the Kendal Students Association (Imaken), which consists of students from Kendal from a number of universities. Together with Imaken and other volunteers, the coastline planted with mangroves is getting wider. There are at least 12 points along the Kendal coast where they have planted mangroves, from the eastern end of Kaliwungu district to the west, namely to Brangsong, Patebon, Cepiring, Kangkung and Rowosari.

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As Wasito recalls, the coastal area planted with mangroves is around 30 hectares. But he can only remember two spots, namely Patebon and Wonosari. "We do not count everything. In essence, we do conservation. Anytime we find critical land, we plant [mangroves] there. We continue to monitor it. For mangroves, the average height is above seven meters," said Wasito, who is also working with Protect Forest since 2017.

The types of trees they planted include Rhizophora (mangroves), Avicennia (api-api), Bruguiera (tancang), Casuarina equisetifolia (cemara laut) and Acanthus ilicifolius (jeruju). Almost every weekend or public holiday, Wasito checks the condition of the coast around his house. If there are areas that are hollow or critical, he moves people to plant mangroves there.

Apart from being protected against abrasion, the beaches in Kendal that have been planted with mangroves are now shady, so they can invite various birds to come. Residents who want to spend time for relaxation have also started coming to the beaches.

The mangrove conservation movement Wasito initiated in Kendal is appreciated by many parties. In 2015, for example, Wasito received the Kendal Regent Award for the Environmental Activist category. In 2020, he was given the Kalpataru Award by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

He has been assigned to Banyuwangi (East Java), Lhokseumawe (Aceh) and Pangkalpinang (Bangka Belitung), among other places.

In addition to the awards, he was also recruited by the Kendal Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) to become a regional facilitator for the marine school in 2018. A year later, he was appointed by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) to become a national facilitator. He has been assigned to Banyuwangi (East Java), Lhokseumawe (Aceh) and Pangkalpinang (Bangka Belitung), among other places.

As a national facilitator, Wasito sometimes feels unconfident, because he only has junior high school education, yet he is expected to provide an understanding of disaster risk reduction to the community, some of whom are academics. But for the sake of the conservation movement, he keeps going.

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His success in replanting the Kendal coast has not put his mind at ease. He is now worried after hearing of a plan that the 15-kilometer coastline in Kendal, from Kaliwungu to Patebon, will become part of an industrial estate.

If the project is a must, he hopes the authorities will develop a green belt to catch industrial pollutants.

Wasito

Born: Demak, 4 May 1973 Wife: Sulistianingsih Children: 2 Education: SMP PGRI Demak (graduated in 1988)

Job: Staff member at Demak Public Works and Spatial Planning Office

Organization:

- Center for Coastal Community Empowerment and Service in Kendal (2008-present)

- Member of Bodri River Forum (2019-present)

(This article was translated by Kurniawan H. Siswoko).