841 views Supporting the Target to Add Mangrove Forests, KEHATI and Asahimas Sign the Agreement on Mangrove Blue Carbon Program - KEHATI KEHATI

Supporting the Target to Add Mangrove Forests, KEHATI and Asahimas Sign the Agreement on Mangrove Blue Carbon Program

  • Date:
    01 Oct 2021
  • Author:
    KEHATI

Jakarta- KEHATI Foundation and PT Asahimas Chemical signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Mangrove Blue Carbon Program at the World Trade Center Building, Jakarta (22/10). This five year agreement aims to support the reduction of greenhouse gases (carbon pollution) and disaster mitigation in Banten Province and contribute in the national target to add mangrove forests as a measure for climate change mitigation. The signing was conducted by the Vice President Director of PT ASC, Eddy Sutanto, and the Executive Director of KEHATI Foundation, Riki Frindos.

 

Through this program, PT Asahimas Chemical is also hoping to become a model in supporting low-carbon development by rehabilitating mangrove land on the coastal areas of Banten, especially those impacted by the tsunami disaster in 2018. “The environmental and climate change issue are global problems that must be resolved together by all parties. PT Asahimas Chemical is trying to be a solution for environmental issues around its area of operations,”said the Vice President Director of PT ASC, Eddy Sutanto.

 

One of the approaches and goals of the mangrove ecosystem rehabilitation program is to educate the importance of conserving the mangrove ecosystem to communities living in the program area in Banten Province. This refers to the data from the Environmental and Forestry Office of Banten Province, which mentions that mangrove damages in Banten is caused by human activities. Therefore, replanting mangrove must be followed by efforts to raise the awareness and involvement of the people living around the rehabilitated area.

 

The Mangrove Blue Carbon Program itself is a biodiversity conservation and rehabilitation program concept designed to support the central government’s national programs included in the National Priority Programs (PPN) of the Mid-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2020-2024 through low carbon development (PRK). PT Asahimas Chemical hopes that this program can rehabilitate 14 hectares of mangrove ecosystem and is useful for all members of the community, such as women, fishers, and youth, and can provide an economic value for the local people in the form of mangrove-derived products.

 

In addition to the ecological benefits, with increasing biological productivity of fishery resources on the coastal areas of Banten, fishers are expected to receive economic benefits, with growing population of fish and sea biota. Not to mention through the use of conservation areas as ecotourism destination.

 

During the same opportunity, the Executive Director of KEHATI Foundation, Riki Frindos, conveyed his hope that this program can promote biodiversity conservation in the mangrove ecosystem and can serve as an education for the people living there, especially young generation, by developing the mangrove biodiversity park. “We hope this program can be successful and be replicated in other regions across Indonesia,” he added.

 

This mangrove ecosystem rehabilitation program has been conducted by PT Asahimas Chemical in Banten Province since 2013, during which PT Asahimas Chemical (ASC) has planted and nursed 10 thousand mangroves on one hectare area in the estuary of Cibanten River, Serang.

 

 

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Media contact

Yayasan KEHATI

Muhammad Syarifullah

PR and Education Outreach Manager

Email       : m.syarifullah@kehati.or.id

Phone     : +6281380909881

 

About KEHATI Foundation

Established since 12 January 1994, KEHATI Foundation aims to gather and manage resources which are then distributed in the form of grants, facilitation, consultation and various other facilities to support various biodiversity conservation programs in Indonesia and their use in a fair and sustainable manner. Some of the figures behind the founding of KEHATI Foundation include Emil Salim, Koesnadi Hardjasoemantri, Ismid Hadad, Erna Witoelar, M.S. Kismadi, and Nono Anwar Makarim.

For more than two decades, KEHATI has collaborated with more than 1,000 local organizations spread from Aceh to Papua, and has managed more than US$ 200 million of grant funds. These funds are from multilateral and bilateral donors, private sector, philanthropists, crowd funding, and endowment fund.

KEHATI manages programs using three approaches, namely forestry ecosystem, agricultural ecosystem, and marine ecosystem. In addition, KEHATI Foundation also manages special programs, including TFCA Sumatera, TFCA Kalimantan, SPOS, and BAF.

Vision

Sustainable Nature for the Nation’s Present and Future Generation