Ilham is compensating for his sin decades ago by persevering in rehabilitating mangroves in Paser regency, East Kalimantan. His only wish is to keep the life of fishermen in his village progressing smoothly.
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·5 minutes read
SUCIPTO
Ilham .
Over 20 years ago, Ilham was wallowing around muddy waters while slashing mangrove stems with a dagger. He slashed the trees from the right and left to make them fall. At one moment, reaching the umpteenth stem, he slashed from the right. Unfortunately, the slash slipped and hit the upper part of his left foot.
Ilham showed the trace of a dry cut wound on Wednesday (15/2/2023). A line of about 10 centimeters in a lighter skin color could be seen on his left foot. Ilham regards the wound as a reminder of his past mangrove hacking practice.
At the time, he was going to use the mangrove stems for building the frame of lift net fishing gear. As a fishermen’s family member, he deemed it natural for him to take mangrove stems around coastal and bay areas.
An awareness began to grow in Ilham’s mind in 2001. In that year, the government introduced a program for mangrove rehabilitation in his village, Muara Adang, Long Ikis district, Paser regency, East Kalimantan. Ilham participated in the activity.
Residents were given the understanding that mangrove cover has an important contribution to fishermen. Fish, shrimp and crabs benefit from mangrove areas to reproduce. If mangroves are totally cleared, fishermen are threatened with the loss of their source of living. “With this, I began to understand. Since then, I have learned to plant mangroves and always followed programs related to mangroves,” said Ilham.
Ilham’s village located in Adang Bay indeed often implemented mangrove-rehabilitation programs. It is because most of the mangrove cover has been converted into ponds. Overwhelmingly, one family is capable of owning tens of hectares of shrimp ponds or milkfish ponds.
Residents helped a lot with cultivation and planting together.
As one who was born in his own village, Ilham does not want to miss out on the opportunity to make up for his sin. Ilham has never been absent from any mangrove rehabilitation program in his village. His reason is very fundamental: he wants the life of fishermen in his village to make untroubled, consistent progress. At present, the seedlings he has planted since 2001 are growing into lush, green and shady trees.
He is even ready to spend his private money on the rehabilitation of the edge of the river around Adang Bay. Locals call the location Sungai Haji Darman (Haji Darman’s River) because the river winds past the pond owned by Haji Darman, a resident of Muara Adang.
One day, Ilham noticed the edge of the river was denuded. He was worried the land around the river stream would be eroded. In that case, abrasion was feared to be widening and damaging the mangrove forest nearby.
“If I’m not mistaken, at the time I spent Rp 6 million [US$392.65] on 6,000 seedlings. Residents helped a lot with cultivation and planting together,” recalled Ilham.
SUCIPTO
Ilham .
Learning from nature
Although he did not finish elementary school, as a coastal resident and a fisherman, Ilham is knowledgeable about the characteristics of mangroves. From his over 20 years’ experience in mangrove planting, he understands how to cultivate mangrove seedlings independently.
Ilham makes available a plot of land behind his house as the place for mangrove seedling cultivation. He makes a system of water inflow and outflow that can be regulated. When seedlings are raised, he opens a valve to allow water from the bay to inundate the cultivation area.
The water is left to swamp for about seven days. After seven days, the water is drained. Through various experiments, according to Ilham, this method is the most suitable to make seedlings grow well and be ready for planting.
Now Ilham has joined Muara Adang Indah Forest Farmers Group and become its chairman. The group manages mangrove forest-related businesses, including an environmentally friendly fishery operation. Ilham and his group encourage village residents to be engaged in silvofishery, a system of traditional pond business combining fishery and mangrove planting.
Lately, his group has cooperated with Planète Urgence (PU) Indonesia and the Coastal Working Group, nongovernmental organizations focusing on the restoration of ecosystem degradation, especially in coastal areas. In this program, Ilham and Muara Adang fishermen have planted 50,000 mangrove seedlings in 14 locations at Adang Bay since 2022.
Ilham includes young people in the activity now underway. He wants the awareness and knowledge of the importance of mangroves to be transferred from one generation to another. In his view, coexisting with mangroves is one of the main paths to enable fishermen to survive and ensure a sustainable source of fish catch.
Despite his decades of preoccupation with mangroves, not all residents fully believe Ilham. Ilham does not force them. He tries various approaches to convince them.
This has to do with a lot of people, so patience is needed.
Among others, he makes them understand that mangroves can prevent abrasion. If mangroves are planted around a dam, fish ponds will be more solid when the tide comes in. Pond owners need not spend energy and cost to repair a broken dam. He explains to neighbors that mangroves can promote pond owners’ productivity if planted in the ponds.
Not all pond owners in the Adang Bay zone are ready to plant mangroves in their ponds. Nonetheless, Ilham feels sure that someday the pond owners will practice silvofishery. This, Ilham believes, is a matter of time. When there are success stories of those applying the environmentally friendly concept in his village, he is convinced that many residents will manage their ponds by combining them with mangrove planting.
“This has to do with a lot of people, so patience is needed. Good intentions and activitiees certainly have to face trials. Gradually, many pond owners will be willing to plant mangroves in their ponds,” said the descendant of the Bajo ethnic group.
Ilham
Born: Paser, 3 May 1967
Profession: Fisherman
Organization: Chairman of Muara Adang Indah Forest Farmers Group
Award: Kalpataru, category of Environmental Pioneer, from the governor of East Kalimantan (2021)
