Chairman of Mempawah Mangrove Conservation Raja Fajar Azansyah talks about mangroves to students of state senior high school SMAN 07 in Pontianak at the Mempawah Mangrove Park on Thursday (9/2).
Thirty-five students from SMAN 07 Pontianak public high school crossed the bamboo bridge in Mempawah Mangrove Park in West Kalimantan on Thursday (9/2). While walking, the students’ eyes were set on the lines of mangrove trees giving them shade and new knowledge on both sides of the bridge.
After walking some 200 meters over the bamboo bridge, they arrived at the mangrove information center, a hut measuring 4-by-5 meters.
At the center, the park management gave basic information on mangroves, including their important role in protecting beaches against abrasion and providing oxygen for mankind. One mangrove tree can produce around 1.9 kilograms of oxygen.
The students enthusiastically asked questions of the Mempawah Mangrove Park (MMP) management. They listened intently, with deep curiosity, to all the explanations. The students visiting the mangrove park that day were members of the high school’s nature club.
Five minutes later, they continued their trek across the bamboo bridge toward the mangrove nursery some 300 meters away. There, a manager explained proper mangrove cultivation techniques to the students so that they had enough information to cultivate mangroves in their own neighborhoods.
As the day became hotter, the students continued their way to the mangrove hut some 100 meters away. In the 4-by-5-meter hut, a manager gave the students more detailed explanations of mangroves.
“I am glad I could visit the mangrove park as I have learned so much here. Before, all I knew about mangroves was just that they grew on beaches. Apparently, they are very important, especially in regions threatened with abrasion like Mempawah,” said Maharani Ababil, a 10th grader at SMAN 07 Pontianak high school.
Jiyad Aryasa, an 11th grader majoring in social science, shared a similar sentiment, saying that the mangrove park was an interesting place to learn about how to love the environment. “I can see the real thing here. My love for the environment has grown. Just imagine, if there was no mangrove park here, the abrasion in Mempawah could have been more severe,” Jiyad said.
Environmental education teacher and student counselor Rooshardiani, who was with the students at the mangrove park, said that environmental education was one of the school’s extracurricular activities and played an important role in the students’ character education. Mempawah Mangrove Park was a great place for students to learn about the environment and be more familiar with it.
The mangrove park was more than just a tourism destination, it was also educational. Through this excursion, she said, she hoped the students would learn a lot about how to properly protect the environment.
Educational
The mangrove park is managed by the Mempawah Mangrove Conservation (MMC) group, which aims to restore the local coastline. MMC head Raja Fazar Azansyah said that the two-hectare mangrove park was established on Aug. 23, 2016.
The mangrove park was established to develop a proper environmental mindset, especially among youths. Developing a good mindset was equally important as real action. To achieve this, all students who visited were given information on environmental protection and took part in planting mangroves.
The mangrove park has 30,000 mangrove trees of 10 different species. Most of them belong to the Rhizophora variety often found on beaches to protect against abrasion.
Before the mangrove park was established, Fajar and several members of the Mempawah tourism awareness group had initiated a local conservation effort by planting mangrove trees in the area. They started planting mangroves in the area in 2011 with support from local volunteers and agencies.
Mempawah is a coastal regency with around 120 km of coast, all of which is prone to abrasion. In the past 20 years, Mempawah has lost 1.5 km of its coastline. However, with conservation efforts in place, the local beaches nowadays are being saved from abrasion.
Economic benefits
The mangrove park also brings economic benefits to the local people. Other than being educational for youths and students, the park has gained fame as a tourist destination. It is strategically located on the coast and the main road between Pontianak and Singkawang.
Many locals have opened up stalls in the surrounding area. Despite the low number of visitors, the local people have begun to feel the park’s economic benefit. Within the mangrove park itself, there are a number of spots for locals to open stalls.
The surrounding area has also received an economic boost from tourism. One of these areas is Penibung Island, some 800 meters from the mangrove park. The island has become a tourist attraction with up to 80 travelers arriving on the fishermen’s boats at weekends.
From when it opened in August 2016 until February 2017, the mangrove park has received 15,714 visitors, mostly coming at the weekend. Students and researchers do not pay an entrance fee, but the public pay Rp 5,000 (37 US cents) per person. The locals usually come in droves at the weekend.
