Fighting climate change: Over 15ha of mangroves planted in Indonesia under Temasek Foundation’s efforts

BANYUASIN, Indonesia: The Ampera Bridge is seen as an iconic symbol of prosperity in Palembang, the capital of Indonesia’s South Sumatra province.

It crosses the Musi River, one of the longest in the country which empties into the sea near Sungsang IV village in Banyuasin regency hundreds of kilometres away.

While this coastal area used to teem with mangroves, the trees are now under threat due to agricultural expansion and infrastructure development.

In efforts to revitalise the area and improve livelihoods, Singapore’s Temasek Foundation – the philanthropic arm of state investment firm Temasek – teamed up with Indonesian partners in 2021 to begin a community-based mangrove restoration programme in Banyuasin.

These partners include the Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), the Centre of Excellence of Peatland and Mangrove Conservation and Productivity Improvement and the South Sumatra Watershed Forum.

Since then, more than 15ha of mangroves – the size of about 21 football fields – have been planted there.

"It's a very promising start, and we … (hear) feedback from the local government saying that, oh, we would like to replicate this in other areas, the same district. That is truly encouraging,” said Temasek Foundation’s head of corporate development Amrin Amin.

“If we come in and provide that additional layer of support and encouragement, we hope (we) will form a tipping point in the long run, to help catalyse progress and help us together address climate change,” he added.

The project in Banyuasin is one of two mangrove restoration efforts in South Sumatra funded by the Temasek Foundation.

The other project is in Ogan Komering Ilir regency, where the Foundation is working with local partners such as Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara and Sinar Mas Group.

Both projects, which serve as small steps to mitigate climate change, are set to end next year.

Mangroves play an important role in the fight against climate change because they absorb massive amounts of carbon dioxide and store it in the soil.

Indonesia is home to more than 3 million ha of mangrove forests, accounting for over 20 per cent of the world's mangrove ecosystems.

However, when the project in Banyuasin started, locals were reluctant to support it.

Sungsang IV Village’s head Romi Adi Candra said the only way they knew how to work in the forest was to clear the land to grow palm oil and coconuts.

But the village authorities convinced them to start the mangrove nursery and the community saw the results,” he added.

“This is extraordinary because the small businesses here are surviving, thanks to the mangroves.”

The project funds the local community to start a mangrove nursery enterprise. The nursery has an annual production capacity of 15,000 seedlings.

Locals collect mangrove propagules from the wild, grow them in the nursery and sell the seedlings to companies involved in the restoration programme.

Nearly 40,000 seedlings have been planted across 15ha of degraded mangrove areas. While the seedlings have a 50 per cent survival rate, researchers are confident of improving their resilience.

"This learning process is very important,” said CIFOR director Herry Purnomo, who noted that conditions at every site are different.

“The quality, the resources, the seedlings, the diseases, the pests are different,” he added.

The project in Banyuasin aims to achieve 180 tonnes of carbon dioxide sequestration per year for restored mangroves.

To monitor this, a community-based tracking system has been developed and piloted. It uses an Android-based application and a web-based system for the monitoring and documentation of mangrove planting.

IMPROVING CRAB HARVESTS

In the neighbouring Marga Sungsang village, the mangrove restoration programme has also helped a farm to produce 240kg of crabs in their first harvest.

Locals joined the programme earlier this year, which facilitates crab silvofishery – a traditional aquaculture system that combines crab cultivation with mangrove planting.

Farmers can reap high profits, selling 1kg of the crab for about 190,000 rupiah (US$12).

The crabs are harvested once every four months, with mangroves helping to improve crab cultivation in the pond.

"If there are mangroves like this, there will be lots of sources of food (for the crabs). Crabs also use mangroves to make their homes. The crab holes are usually in the mangrove roots,” explained the village’s crab group vice-head Jumardi, who goes by one name.

“During high tide, there are many fishes around the roots of the mangrove so the crabs will be better and will grow better.”