Mangunharjo Wetan is a quiet little village on the north coast near Semarang in Central Java. Here, many local residents earn their living from fishponds. However, these industries have become increasingly vulnerable to flooding caused by coastal erosion and subsidence, rising sea levels, and a lack of coastal barriers.
These problems are directly impacting lives and livelihoods. For local fishpond farmers like Sururi, solutions are sorely needed. Back in 1995, he started planting mangroves around the village, creating a natural greenbelt that also acts as a flood barrier.
Starting from Scratch: Building Nature-based Solutions
When Sururi began planting mangroves almost three decades ago, the area was a coastal sea. “In the past we had no natural barriers. The shoreline was directly exposed to the sea, causing coastal erosion because the shoreline was hit with the waves again and again,” he remembers. “But after we started planting mangroves, they held soil and sands behind the mangroves and slowed down the erosion.” Pointing to the thriving mangrove forest behind him, he explains that, as the mangroves grow bigger, they encourage the land held behind the mangroves to collect and form a natural defense against coastal erosion that triggers tidal floods.
During the past 29 years, Sururi has seen his fair share of difficulties. “The first two years were the hardest,” he explains. “Finding seedlings was very difficult, and I had no one to teach me,” he says. In 1997, this changed when Sururi met a professor who mentored him on the proper way to plant mangroves.
Read also: Five Facts About Mangrove You Need to Know
Recognition for Reforestation: Sururi Receives a Prestigious Kalpataru Award
Sururi’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. In May 2024, he was awarded the prestigious Kalpataru Award by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. “I’m grateful, after nearly 30 years of effort, we have achieved the Kalpataru Award. It motivates us to preserve the coastal area better,” he says.
But despite the personal accolade, Sururi maintains he could not have achieved anything by working alone; for replanting activities to really take root, it takes a village. Having worked together to make it happen, the communities are also enjoying the dividends of this collective endeavor, as the return to ecosystem health has impacted positively on the local economy.
“Now, local communities can reap the benefit,” says Sururi. “There is a green mussel nursery here, providing an additional source of income for fishermen.”
Trees4Trees Support for Mangrove Restoration in Mangunharjo
While the mangroves in Mangunharjo have certainly helped prevent a repeat of recent disasters, the area needs more trees to sure up its defenses. To support these efforts, Trees4Trees teamed up with 90 local volunteers, including Sururi and his Mangrove Lestari Farmer Group, to plant 2,000 new mangrove seedlings and 100 Australian pine trees over an area covering 1200 square meters. The activities formed part of the Trees4Trees Planting Festival, held on June 11, 2024.
Read also: Trees4Trees Planting Festival Celebrating 16th Reforestation Journey
“We’ve noticed many areas are losing their natural mangrove habitats and their ecological functions,” explains Adi Gani, Project Manager at Trees4Trees. “By planting mangroves and Australian pines together, we aim to enhance the greening of this coastal area; this effort is our contribution to coastal ecosystem restoration in Mangunharjo, and we plan to continue expanding it in the future,” he added.
For Sururi, the benefits of these activities are clear: “Biodiversity has flourished, including shrimp and fish. Birds are more abundant in the evenings now too. In the past, we needed the military to protect this area, but now the thriving habitat safeguards itself.”
Sururi sends his thanks to Trees4Trees, along with hopes for the future:. “We hope this initiative will continue and expand to other locations as well.”
Writer: V. Arnila Wulandani. Editor: Christopher Alexander. Photos: Yulianisa Dessenita
