Relentless eco warriors fight against all odds

Novia D. Rulistia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Feature | Tue, February 03 2015, 9:47 AM - See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/03/relentless-eco-warriors-fight-against-all-odds.html#sthash.NYB1n8yW.dpuf

But some beg to differ. With strong determination and hard work, they show that no challenges are impossible to tackle. Aziil Anwar from Majene in West Sulawesi is one such individual. He has been dealing with mangrove rehabilitation in his coastal village since the 1990s. The mangroves in his village had almost disappeared as residents used them as firewood, but he was determined to change the condition. In some parts, it was quite easy for him to grow the mangroves, but in others, dead coral hampered his efforts. His curiosities led him to discovering how to grow mangrove on a rock. 

Many people initially doubted his “Mangrove on Rock” program, but he dismissed it and kept on going. He and his team have been successful in planting thousands of mangrove trees in the 60-hectare area, protecting the village from floods. His mangrove rehabilitation program has also succeeded in improving the local economy and his efforts have been recognized by many, including the Indonesian Biodiversity (Kehati) Foundation that recently awarded him the Prakarsa Lestari award as part of the Kehati Awards for his contribution to protecting the country’s biodiversity. 

The Kehati Awards was first held in 2000 with only one winner from one category. It grew to five categories in 2001, and in 2009 Kehati added one more category, Tunas Lestari. This year the awards had six categories: the Prakarsa Lestari Kehati award for individuals or groups, the Pendorong Lestari Kehati award for public service organizations or government, the Peduli Lestari Kehati award for businesspeople, the Cipta Lestari Kehati award for scientists or academics, the Citra Lestari Kehati award for mass media or artists, and the Tunas Lestari Kehati award for youngsters. In its eighth edition this year, the awards saw Achmad Subagio from East Java win the Cipta Lestari, CV Arum Ayu from Banten win the Peduli Lestari, Agustinus Sasundu from North Sulawesi win the Citra Lestari, Janumiro from Central Kalimantan win the Pendorong Lestari, and ecosystem study group Kesemat from Central Java win the Tunas Lestari. 

The panel of judges selected the six winners out of 88 applicants. Eko Baroto Walujo, the selection panel head, said that to win, each candidate had to show the benefits and impacts of their programs for society and biodiversity. “We also assessed the sustainability of their projects, as well as the originality and innovation in what they did,” he said. Another judge, Yono Reksoprodjo, said all winners had shown that their biodiversity programs had added value to the economy. Each winner received Rp 25 million (US$ 1,960) as a cash prize. Another winner, Agustinus from Sangihe, developed traditional bamboo instruments to help empower local residents as well as helping traditional music to survive. In Sangihe, bamboo musical instruments are often used in cultural events. “We used to only have suling [flutes] to play during the events,” he said. He did some research and made a clarinet, trombone and bass, among others, from bamboo, to enrich the local sound. He set up a workshop where people could learn to make the instruments so they could sell them for additional income. 

Meanwhile, Achmad Subagio received recognition for his work in developing cassava as a food alternative and improving the lives of people living in marginalized areas. The lecturer and researcher at Jember University decided to get out of his lab and implement his research on cassava-based flour. He set up his own factory, but had to close it due to some problems. Not giving up, he built another factory and the business went well. He also went to several marginalized areas to help people get out of poverty by providing them with another source of income. “In those areas, I made working groups to supply the need for the factory. One village is tasked with washing the cassava, another peeling it, and others to dry it or slice it,” Achmad said. The cassava flour is then used to make cookies, cakes, noodles and rice, which are also sold in his stores. Kehati board chairman Ismid Hadad said the individuals had won because of their efforts, against all odds, to save the environment. “Without waiting for instruction and assistance from the government, they are protecting the environment,” he said. “They are the new faces of hope in protecting our biodiversity.” - 

See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/03/relentless-eco-warriors-fight-against-all-odds.html#sthash.NYB1n8yW.dpuf

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.

Will COP 19 sharpen focus on tropical peatlands and mangrove ecosystems?

Daniel Murdiyarso, Center for International Forestry Research and Boone Kauffman, Oregon State University

High Carbon ecosystems such as peatlands and mangroves are increasingly attracting the attention they deserve for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Scientists and climate change policymakers gathered at a workshop in Bonn late last month to discuss the state of knowledge on ‘ecosystems with high-carbon reservoirs not covered by other agenda items under the Convention (UNFCCC)’.

Behind that technical workshop title lies an important development: high-carbon ecosystems such as peatlands and mangroves are increasingly — and finally — attracting the attention they deserve in the international arena. More importantly, they are on the way to assuming their rightful place in countries’ climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

This sharpening focus on tropical peatlands and mangroves could enrich the debate on the Kyoto Part-2, in which developing nations housing the ecosystems could participate. Moreover, this low-hanging fruit seems attractive for dual or even multiple objectives in climate change mitigation and adaptation. So will COP 19 turn its attention to these high carbon ecosystems?

The Bonn workshop was organized by the UNFCCC/SBSTA (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change / Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice), in response to a request by the Parties at last year’s Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC in Doha, Qatar.

DAFTAR HARGA BIBIT MANGROVE

MANGROVE LEARNING CENTER BALUNO KAB. MAJENE
Jl. Poros Majene-Mamuju Km. 35 Binanga Kec. Sendana Kab. Majene 91452

Sulawesi Barat-Indonesia

Phone: 081355517545 - 082187280420
Email: ypmmdwestcelebes@gmail.com

NO	JENIS BIBIT	HARGA (Rp.)	UMUR	TINGGI	STOCK BIBIT
1	Rhyzophora stylosa	1.500	4-8 bulan	40-100 cm	500.000 btg
2	Rhyzophora mucronata	1.500	4-8 bulan	60-120 cm	20.000 btg
3	Rhyzophora sp. (buah)	300	-	-
4	Bruguiera sp.	3500	4-8 bulan	40-70 cm	40.000 btg
5	Bruguiera sp. (buah)	300	-	-
6	Aegiceras corniculatum	4.000	5-12 bulan	20-40 cm	80.000 btg
7	Aegiceras corniculatum (anakan)	450	1-2 bulan	5-15 cm
8	Ceriops tagal	2.500	6-12 bulan	40-80 cm	20.000
9	Ceriops tagal (buah)	350	-	-
10	Avicennia marina	4.500	6-15 bulan	30-60 cm	30.000
10	Calopbyllum inopbyllum L (punaga)	3.500	8- 14 bulan	40-80 cm	20.000

Pengiriman dilakukan setelah pembayaran minimal 50% dari total harga.

Pengambilan dalam jumlah banyak (diatas 25.000 batang), discount hingga 20%

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

SMA 1 Sendana: Environment Class

Nature Appreciation

·         Get students interested in the environment by exposing them to the beauty and complexity of nature. Take a walk to a nearby park, forest or pond and give students time to explore the area. Have students find a spot on their own and sit quietly for some time (the length depends on their age). You could ask them to take a notebook and write a journal entry, a poem or just take notes on their observations. If you can't go for a field trip, bring some plants and animals (an ant or worm farm, for example) into the classroom for students to observe and care for.

Crafts

·         Nature is inherently beautiful, and you can bring that into the classroom with arts and crafts projects using items from nature or benefiting nature. In autumn, go outside and collect colorful leaves to use in a collage. You can also press the leaves between the pages of a book - don't forget to line them with wax paper. In winter, make snow or ice sculptures. Turn recycled objects into art projects. Teach students to dry flowers. You could have students collect pretty stones to paint. Have students sketch or paint things they found outdoors or specimens you've brought to the classroom.

 

Eco-friendly Classroom

·         Get your students to participate in "greening" the classroom. Set up a compost bin where students can put the organic waste from their snacks or lunches. They can observe it turning into dirt, which they can then put in the school garden or a classroom planting project. Make a reuse bin to put beside your recycle bin. Use it for scrap paper, containers or art supplies that can be reused. Have a waste free lunch week, to encourage your students to use plastic containers and bottles for their food instead of disposable wrappers. This will also help them to eat healthy fresh food instead of processed packaged food.

Projects

·         Move from observation to action with some environmental projects. Science projects can be used to teach specific concepts about nature, or creative projects can get students active on an environmental issue. Some science projects might include indoor sprouting to see germination, dissecting insects, feeding a flower with colored water to see the petals change color, making a weather vane or tracking weather changes, making paper or even making a solar oven. Creative projects could include making Earth Day posters, a letter writing campaign to local businesses or politicians for better environmental practices or greening initiatives for the school.

Games

·         Games can be used to teach something about the environment or just to get connected with nature and have fun outdoors. If you can get to a forest or wooded area, you can play the tree hugger game. In partners, one student is blindfolded and the other will lead them to a tree. The blindfolded student has one minute to hug the tree, feel the bark, smell it and experience it. The partner will then lead him away and take off the blindfold. The student then has to try to find their tree. Another activity that can be done on school grounds is a scavenger hunt, geared to your class' age group and interests.

  

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