Underwater forest

"Mangroves are our protectors"

Trees in the sea? Rooted below the water surface? Yes, mangroves defy expectations for fans of "normal" forests. These salt-tolerant trees and shrubs grow along tropical and subtropical coasts and river deltas, bridging the gap between terrestrial and marine ecosystems.  

From her travels to the coastal region of Gorontalo, a province in the north of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, Patma Santi knows mangroves very well. For the conservationist, who works for NABU's BirdLife partner Burung Indonesia, striving to preserve and restore mangroves is both a heartfelt passion and her daily business. "Mangroves are our guardians", says Santi. Her meaning rapidly becomes clear in our conversation about this threatened ecosystem.

Natural climate and coastal protection

Mangroves form valuable habitats, where the likes of frigatebirds and kingfishers nest, and fish reproduce in the protection of the root system. Mangroves also store enormous amounts of carbon in their biomass and - even more importantly - in the bottom sediments; they are natural climate protectors. "Mangroves also keep the water clean and help reduce the risk of flooding and coastal erosion", Santi elaborates.

Three to four times a month, Patma Santi travels from the small town of Marisa for several days in Torosiaje and five other coastal communities in Gorontalo. She is responsible for this region as Gorontalo Program Coordinator for Conservation & Development at Burung Indonesia. At Torosiaje, the village built on stilts, she arrives via a footbridge. It is lined with mangrove forests that are reflected in the water. They are still part of the landscape here.

Mangroves are under pressure

Most of the local inhabitants make their living from fishing. Many of them tell Santi how their daily lives have changed in the past decades: These days they have to go far out in their boats to find fish. Their work has become more arduous, the yield smaller. Why is that? "For the coastal communities, mangroves are their livelihood", says Santi. But the mangrove ecosystem is under pressure and with it the nurseries of numerous birds, fish and other marine organisms. Around 60 percent of the original mangrove area has been destroyed here, in the west of Gorontalo province, in recent decades. "Only" a local problem? Not at all.   

Indonesia comprises the largest mangrove area in the world, with about 22 percent of all mangrove forests. "Within the last 25 years, more than half of it has been degraded due to conversion into agriculture and residential areas, cutting mangroves for building materials and other unsustainable use", says Patma Santi.

This trend is linked to the demand on the national and international market, a causality confirmed by Martin Baumann, NABU project manager for Southeast Asia. He works closely with Patma Santi. "In Southeast Asia, mangroves are mostly cleared to create aquaculture ponds for shrimp or oil palm plantations. The increasing global demand for shrimp and products with palm oil is leading to the ongoing destruction of mangroves." Baumann advises people to consciously avoid these products when visiting restaurants and shopping, or at least to look for sustainability seals such as Naturland.

All in the same boat

In the western province of Gorontalo, a path for the protection of mangroves is currently being defined in concert with the coastal communities: Sustainable Development and Mangrove Conservation in the Bay of Tomini is the name of the project that Burung Indonesia and NABU launched a year ago, with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Patma Santi holds the pieces together

Patma Santi holds this complex effort together on the ground. Monitoring groups for mangrove protection are currently being formed in all communities: "We have already started participatory biodiversity mapping and recorded many animal and plant species together with the communities."

She emphasises the importance of getting all stakeholders - such as community administrators, fishermen, pond keepers and farmers - on board with the project, to weave economics and conservation together and to develop a common understanding of mangrove protection.

Indonesia has set up a programme to reduce deforestation and mitigate climate change. Mangroves are an important component and have a high priority: 600,000 hectares of mangroves are to be restored in Indonesia by 2030. "An ambitious goal! Our project in Gorontalo is intended to contribute to this." Santi and her colleagues sense that the will for change is there, in the many conversations taking place in the local community centres and administrative offices.

Mangroves build a bridge between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Patma Santi also builds a bridge. It leads from people to mangroves. 

This article appeared in the winter 2023 issue of "Naturschutz heute".

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