PERKEMAHAN SAHABAT MANGROVE (Camp of Mangrove's friends)

Menyambut hari Ibu 22 Desember 2013, YPMMD West Celebes bekerjasama dengan Greenvision Sulbar, dengan dukungan penuh BPDAS Lariang Mamasa melaksanakan perkemahan Sahabat Mangrove di Mangrove Learning Center Majene. Kegiatan yang dikemas dalam bentuk kemah karya bakti ini pada awalnya direncanakan hanya untuk 100 orang peserta, dan undangan hanya disebarkan melalui facebook, namun baru pada hari kedua pendaftaran peserta telah mencapai lebih dari 200 orang. tanggapan positif dari facebooker ini cukup membuat kelabakan pihak panitia. Kalau masalah komsumsi masih bisa diatasi, tapi yang paling merepotkan adalah menyiapkan tambahan baju kaos yang lengkap dengan sablonnya.

UN-HABITAT Training for urban youth fund grantees in Cairo

A very diverse group of 23 youth project grantees of the UNHABITAT Urban youth fund  are gathered in Cairo for 6 days of training.  The trainees, from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, are learning about project management and engaging with locally elected leaders. 2 trainees from Indonesia are Fiany Mandharina (YPMMD West Celebes) and the other is Pipit from Bright Idea  Jogjakarta.

Nilai Ekonomi Hutan Bakau

Oleh Harry Jusron

Kepala Bidang Indikator Sistem Iptek Nasional Kementerian Negara Riset dan Teknologi

Pesisir pantai Pulau Jawa adalah contoh paling nyata dari keserakahan manusia. Setiap tahun, hutan bakau di Pulau Jawa terus menyusut akibat ulah manusia, baik dibabat untuk kepentingan pertambakan maupun untuk pembangunan perumahan-perumahan mewah, dengan berbagai fasilitas di dalamnya.

Pada 1997 saja, luas hutan mangrove di Pulau Jawa sudah tinggal 19.077 hektare (ha) atau hanya tersisa sekitar 11,1956. Penyusutan terbesar terjadi di Jawa Timur, dari luasan 57.500 ha menjadi hanya 500 ha (8%), kemudian di Jawa Barat, dari 66.500 ha tinggal kurang dari 5 ribu ha.

Sedangkan di Jawa Tengah, tinggal 13.577 ha, dari 46.500 ha (tinggal 29%). Sementara itu, luas tambak di Pulau Jawa adalah 128.740 ha, yang tersebar di Jawa Barat (50.330 ha), Jawa Tengah (30.497 ha), dan di Jawa Timur (47.913 ha).


Untung dan Buntung
Dalam satu dekade terakhir ini, penyusutan hutan bakau tidak hanya terjadi akibat pembukaan lahan untuk pertambakan, tapi lebih karena daya tarik ekonomi yang menjanjikan. Setiap tahun, ratusan ribu hektare hutan bakau dibabat dan diubah menjadi taman rekreasi atau perumahan mewah, dengan berbagai fasilitasnya yang juga tak kalah wah-nya, seperti lapangan golf dan pusat-pusat perbelanjaan.

Siapa yang mendapatkan keuntungan terbesar dari berubahnya hutan bakau menjadi perumahan mewah? Pertama, tentu saja pengembang. Dengan kepemilikan lahan kosong yang siap bangun, para pengembang bisa dengan gampang menjualnya dengan harga jutaan rupiah per meter persegi. Harga tersebut bisa berlipat bila di atas

Mangrove project reconnects Ronaldo and tsunami survivor

It was a sweet and unexpected reunion between world soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and Martunis, a survivor of the 2004 Aceh tsunami, on Wednesday.

Ronaldo, nicknamed CR7, came to the resort island as an ambassador for the Mangrove Care Forum Bali.

“It’s great to see him again. He looks the same. I wish him the best,” the Portuguese soccer celebrity said about Martunis.

The Acehnese, now 15, was dragged out to sea and swept into a mangrove swamp. Wearing a red and green Portuguese soccer jersey with Ronaldo’s name on it, Martunis survived on puddle water and dried noodles and was rescued 19 days later and reunited with his father and grandfather.

His story attracted European media attention. In 2008, Ronaldo visited him in Aceh in 2008 and financed his education.

“I am privileged to be able to play a role in conserving mangroves in Indonesia. I was in Aceh after the 2004 tsunami and the devastation I saw left a deep impression. I understand that in places where there were mangroves to provide a natural buffer against high waves, more lives were saved and less damage sustained,” Ronaldo said.

“I’m not paid [for being an ambassador]. I am doing this because I like to help the people, the children, the Earth and I think it’s great.”

The Real Madrid star said he was honored to return to Indonesia on this environmental mission.

Ronaldo joined in with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to plant mangroves at Telaga Waja, Benoa Bay. The area is part of the 1,373-hectare Ngurah Rai People’s Forest Park, the largest mangrove forest in Bali and an area that suffers from severe pollution, deforestation and littering.

The forum is expected to involve local communities in the clean up and creation of a safe environment for plants and marine life.

Data from the Forestry Ministry’s Unda Anyar river flow management showed around 253 hectares of the forest was damaged, largely due to land conversion and pollution.

Driven by concern over the alarming condition of the mangrove forest, community empowerment agencies and village chiefs for Tanjung Benoa, Benoa Jimbaran, Tuban and Kedonganan established the forum in April, with support from the Artha Graha Peduli Foundation.

Members of the forum are responsible for maintenance, preservation, planting, rehabilitation of degraded land and mangrove development, as well as holding social activities and community empowerment.

“We have learned much from our 16 years conserving Tambling’s mangroves [in South Bukit Barisan National Park in Lampung]. With the same passion and commitment, we aim to save the mangrove forest in Benoa Bay,” foundation founder Tomy Winata said, adding that protecting mangroves would also protect the livelihood of many villagers.

On the sidelines of the event, Yudhoyono received a jersey which was emblazoned with “SBY” and Ronaldo’s favorite number “7” and signed by the player. First Lady Ani Yudhoyono also received a jersey emblazoned with name “Ani” and signed by Ronaldo.

Entrepreneurial Opportunities for School Dropouts

The project was conducted through three stages of training, the basic management and Training Administration, carried out for 3 days, Entrepreneurship Training, conducted over four days, and Writing Workshop of Entrepreneurial proposal, carried out for 2 days.  

Project participants as much as 40 young, consists of 23 women and 17 men, ages 17 to 31 years. In the first stage, the best 20, will follow further training, and the best 10 of  the second training, will follow the workshop and receive a start-up loan from 3 million IDR - 7 million IDR per person.  

This project is supported by UN Habitat.

MANGROVE ON ROCK