The To plant or not to Plant initiative works to rehabilitate mangroves by applying best practices in mangrove restoration, and by enabling NGOs, government agencies and communities to effectively upscale their work. Indonesia is one of the 4 countries where we demonstrate Ecological Mangrove Restoration (EMR) on the ground, focused on natural mangrove regeneration, while we support others to embrace this approach and move away from traditional mass planting.  

In Indonesia, mangrove restoration still largely relies on planting practices, which presents challenges for achieving sustainable restoration. While natural regeneration takes longer than planting, the success rate is a lot higher and results in more resilient mangrove forests that deliver more benefits for biodiversity, climate and people. Despite the recognized benefits of EMR, its widespread adoption remains limited. To address this, we are actively engaging with agencies, practitioners, and local communities involved in mangrove restoration activities. Additionally, we are providing advisory support to the government to enhance policies related to mangrove management.

Building on our demonstration site in Demak recognised as UN Restoration Flagship Project, and other restoration projects, we selected and implemented Ecological Mangrove Restoration in Liagu Village, in North Kalimantan. In this 14 hectares pilot site, we demonstrate best practice mangrove restoration in abandoned fishponds where mangroves have not naturally regenerated. The aim is to inspire replication and upscaling in other areas with similar situations on North and East Kalimantan.

In the demonstration site in Liagu, the hydrology had been disturbed as a result of 15 years of aquaculture activities. The absence of appropriate hydrological channels and the high elevation compared to other locations has prevented mangrove propagules and seeds from nearby healthy mangroves to reach the abandoned ponds. To restore this, a zigzag pattern of channels was created that mimics the natural flow pattern. We also spread propagules in hydrological channel pathways, to accelerate the natural regeneration process and introduce some mangrove species other than pioneering species.

Monitoring has already revealed notable changes in land elevation and natural mangrove growth at the site, but full restoration takes time. While natural regeneration takes longer than planting, trees that naturally appear will be able to survive in the suitable conditions that were created. In contrast, planting tends to use a single species in often unsuitable biophysical conditions for the species used. These mangroves are also more susceptible to pests and diseases.

Local communities and pond owners are involved throughout all stages of the program. Guided by field facilitators, they are conducting survey activities in preliminary and baseline assessments, planning, design and implementation activities as well as monitoring of the restoration process. This engagement fosters a sense of ownership and commitment to the long-term maintenance of restoration locations. Also the Forest Management Unit is closely engaged and trained.

Wetlands International Indonesia will upscale ecological mangrove restoration in 33,000 ha of degraded mangrove in North and East Kalimantan, in a joint programme (NASCLIM) with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC). In addition, through support of the Food Planet Prize Award we will restore another 10 hectares of degraded mangrove and conserve 15 ha of existing mangroves in North Kalimantan.

Associated Mangrove Aquaculture (AMA)

In areas where mangroves are being converted to aquaculture, such as in Liagu in North Kalimantan, we will, in the coming years, implement Associated Mangrove Aquaculture systems (AMA’s), which we successfully piloted in Demak. In this innovative approach, part of an aquaculture pond is given up to make space for the restoration of riverine mangroves. The ecosystem functions of mangroves can benefit aquaculture through the dampening of waves and protecting and strengthening the pond dykes. Farmers can also collect wild fry from the mangroves to stock their ponds, and mangrove roots can absorb heavy metals and improve the pond water quality. Farmers The creation of sustainable mangrove aquaculture landscapes are of global relevance given the severe decline in mangrove forests due to aquaculture.

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Capacity and policy uptake of best practices

With these programmes, Wetlands International supports the implementation of the ambitious target by the Indonesian government to rehabilitate 600,000 ha of degraded mangroves in 9 provinces by the end of 2024 (Presidential Decree, 2020).

Wetlands International also supports uptake of Ecological Mangrove Restoration as best practice in Indonesia’s national mangrove strategy, technical guidelines and government investments, in collaboration with partners from the Global Mangrove Alliance Indonesia.

We organise visits for policy makers and experts organisations to our mangrove restoration demonstration sites in Demak and Banten (Central Java) to share lessons and inspire stakeholders about ecological mangrove rehabilitation and environmentally friendly aquaculture.

We already trained 262 people on Community based Ecological Mangrove restoration (CBEMR), reaching various stakeholders, including the national and local governments, universities, the private sector, NGOs, and communities, leading to interest from multiple parties in adopting similar practices. We also developed guidelines and landscape-level restoration planning tools to support others.

EMR and Associated Mangrove Aquaculture (AMA) were recognised by the World Bank and Indonesia’s Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) as critical approaches to successfully achieving mangrove restoration in Indonesia, which should influence investment by the Government of Indonesia toward EMR-based mangrove restoration, contributing to our goal to influence a phasing out of mass planting initiatives. Recommendations for using EMR can now be found in various government plans and programmes:

• the mangrove rehabilitation programme plan implemented by BRGM
• the National Government Regulation for the Protection and Management of Mangrove Ecosystems (RPP PPEM), which will serve as a pivotal policy framework for mangrove management nationwide
• the National Wetlands Management Strategy
• BGRM’s mangrove restoration field school training module.

Supported by:

Our To Plant or not to Plant programme is supported through contributions from Otter Fonds, Tűring Foundation, COmON Foundation, Waterloo Foundation, Greenchoice and Salesforce.

Learn more about Ecological Mangrove Restoration

• Mangrove Restoration: To Plant or not to Plant leaflet (available in 11 languages)
• Best Practice Guidelines on Mangrove Restoration
• Case study: Large scale implementation of best practice mangrove restoration in Guinea Bissau
• Achieving ambitious mangrove restoration targets will need a transdisciplinary and evidence-informed approach (Fries, D., et al, One Earth, 2022)

Contact

Apri Susanto Astra, Programme Coordinator Coast and Delta Wetlands International Indonesia
[email protected]

Photos by Aji Nuralam Dwisutono, Wetlands International Indonesia