Revitalizing Kendari Bay

Mangroves are an important part of the ecosystem in Kendari Bay. However, for decades its habitat has been eroded by development. Now, there are rehabilitation efforts.

SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUS

Workers complete the construction of a bridge that will be used for mangrove planting in Kendari Bay, Southeast Sulawesi, Tuesday (8/2/2022) afternoon. The government launched the National Mangrove Rehabilitation Program in a series of 2022 National Press Days in the region. ..

The lush mangrove trees of Kendari Bay in Kendari city, Southeast Sulawesi, have gradually disappeared and been replaced by various buildings. The mangrove trees, which function as water markers and guard plants, have difficulty finding places to grow in the bay area, which is owned partly by individuals and companies. An initial effort to rehabilitate the mangrove forest should not only be backed by a regulation but also the participation of all parties.

On the road that divides Kendari Bay and Kendari City, a number of workers were busy building a small wooden bridge. They lifted logs and planks to make a 20 meter-long platform that will be used by officials, both from central and regional governments, to plant mangrove trees. The area will host an event to launch the 2022 National Mangrove Rehabilitation program.

The event is part of a series of events to celebrate the 2022 National Press Day, which fell on 9 Feb. “This is the location we have chosen to plant 20,000 mangrove seedlings. The area is about four hectares," the head of the Sampara Watershed and Protected Forest Management Center for Southeast Sulawesi, M Azis Ahsoni, said on Sunday (6/2/2022).

The mangroves to be planted are of the Rhizophora species, which has many tillers and grows faster than other types.

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Most of the mangroves that grow on the coast of this bay are of the Avicennia species. The mangrove trees stretch about 7 kilometers along the south side of Kendari Bay. Although some of the trees are still lush, many have begun to disappear and have been replaced by buildings.

"It is difficult to find a location for planting mangroves because all these coastal areas are already owned. That's why we chose here," said Azis.

Along the south coast of Kendari Bay, various land ownership signposts stand on the mangrove forest and coast. Various buildings have been built on former ponds or mangrove forests. According to Azis, at present, the mangrove forest around Kendari is only about 308 hectares. Meanwhile, there is an area of about 160 hectares in a number of locations that can be turned into mangrove forest. The potential habitat for the mangrove trees currently consists of open fields, settlements, abraded mangroves and ponds.

KOMPAS/SAIFUL RIJAL YUNUS

The flow of the Wanggu River which empties into Kendari Bay carries massive sedimentation as seen on Friday (26/3/2021), in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi. Sedimentation and reclamation over the last few decades have made this 900-hectare bay area critical..

Tasks Together

Kendari Mayor Sulkarnain Kadir said the mangrove area in Kendari had significantly decreased over the last decades due to the impact of urban development. According to him, the local government has initiated the replanting of the mangrove trees, but the replanting is not focused on the bay but on several other places along the Kendari coast.

“Maintaining mangroves is our collective responsibility because the environment affects all of us. The mangrove rehabilitation program can be used as an opportunity to promote awareness together,” he said.

At present, he added, his office was discussing with a number of agencies the management and future use of the mangrove forest. He said regulation was needed because the coastal area along the bay, which was mangrove habitat, had become private property. The issuance of land titles for private ownership in the coastal area had taken place for a long time, he said. He hoped the relevant ministries would no longer issue land titles because they had the potential to disturb the mangrove area.

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Meanwhile, Irvan Ido, an academic at Halu Oleo University who focuses on researching mangroves in Kendari Bay, said the government should take concrete steps to save mangroves in the bay area because the mangrove forest, whose condition was getting worse and had become more critical, was in danger of being lost. In fact, mangrove trees are the guardians of the area from the threat of abrasion, sedimentation, and they create fish spawning grounds. In the mid 1970s, mangroves and bays were the center of community livelihoods in Kendari. However, the decline in mangrove cover continued in the following years. From 1990 to 2017, the mangrove area decreased by 116.71 hectares.

“The mangrove area in Kendari Bay must be immediately designated as a protected forest. All areas owned by the people should be bought by the government for mangrove areas that can become places for education, research or nature tourism," said Irvan.

Hopefully the mangrove forest in the Kendari Bay will grow again.

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi