Indonesia Plants 21,060 Mangroves in a Day as Government Pushes Global Conservation Center
Indonesia planted over 21,000 mangrove seedlings in a single day across five coastal sites in Jakarta, as the government pushes for a World Mangrove Center and a massive rehabilitation program to boost food security and green jobs.
Indonesia is accelerating its mangrove restoration efforts, using a regional forestry forum to promote the creation of a World Mangrove Center (WMC) as a global platform for collaboration on conservation and restoration [207104]. The country, which holds the world’s largest mangrove area, faces rapid deforestation, but forestry industry players have pledged support for sustainable management, including selective cutting and replanting programs [204538]. The government’s broader goal is to restore 600,000 hectares of degraded mangroves by 2024 [204538].
Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono has called for large-scale rehabilitation to support national food security, noting that healthy mangroves protect coastlines, sustain fish populations, and provide livelihoods for coastal communities [204558]. Environment Minister Moh Jumhur Hidayat argues the effort is not just environmental restoration but a foundation for green economic growth, creating jobs in eco-tourism and sustainable resource management [204564][204563]. He emphasized that mangroves absorb carbon up to four times faster than rainforests, making them a powerful tool against climate change [204563].
In a concrete demonstration, Jakarta’s provincial government planted 21,060 mangrove seedlings in a single day across five coastal locations to shield the shoreline from erosion and rising sea levels [204566]. Separately, the Ministry of Industry partnered with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to launch an Eco-Industrial Park Center, a training hub to help factories reduce waste and adopt eco-friendly technologies as part of Indonesia’s broader green transition [205877].