Restoring Mangrove Ecosystem in South Sumatra Province Needs Collaborative Governance Institutions and Research-Based Restoration Plans

The Forestry Service of the South Sumatra Provincial Government, together with the Musi River Watershed Management Agency (BPDAS), the Nusantara Nature Conservation Foundation (YKAN), and other stakeholders, are making efforts to improve the governance of mangrove ecosystem rehabilitation in the South Sumatra region. South Sumatra has 171,629 hectares of mangroves (KLHK, 2022), or 28% of the total mangrove area on Sumatra Island. With a considerable location, efforts to preserve mangroves on the coast of South Sumatra are essential, plus there is still potential for restoration of 26,720.49 hectares.

Through the Mangrove Ecosystem Restoration Alliance (MERA) Program, YKAN supports efforts to rehabilitate and restore the mangrove ecosystem in South Sumatra carried out by the South Sumatra Provincial Forestry Service and BPDAS Musi by producing a draft of the South Sumatra Ecosystem Restoration Plan Document, especially on the Coast of Ogan Komering Ilir Regency ( OIC). Preparing this draft was started in early 2022 by Sriwijaya University (UNSRI) and YKAN through integrated field studies on the OKI Coast, including ecological, social, and economic analyses.

The Mangrove Ecosystem Recovery Plan document can be a reference for the South Sumatra Province Regional Mangrove Working Group (KKMD) in making policies or recommendations regarding mangrove management. The second result of the UNSRI and YKAN study is the South Sumatra KKMD Action Plan Document draft.

KKMD South Sumatra was formed in 2022. It is a collaborative institution between government agencies, NGOs, academics, and the private sector. The KKMD, initiated by the South Sumatra Provincial Forestry Service and the MERA Program, aims to restore, maintain, and increase the benefits of the mangrove ecosystem in the coastal areas of South Sumatra Province.

SA Supriono, Regional Secretary of South Sumatra Province, added, "The presence of KKMD in South Sumatra Province is expected to play a role in the operational function of mangrove restoration and governance of mangrove ecosystem management in South Sumatra Province. We thank YKAN for supporting and facilitating the formation of RA KKMD and data and restoration design concepts in the South Sumatra region, especially the OKI Regency. "This is an extraordinary achievement and progress for South Sumatra regarding mangrove protection."

On November 29, 2023, the two draft documents were consulted with stakeholders in an event organized by the South Sumatra Forestry Service, BPDAS Musi, and YKAN with the title "Public Consultation: Regional Mangrove Working Group Action Plan and Mangrove Ecosystem Restoration Design Plan on the Sumatran Coast South." This activity was held to gather input from the parties so that the two documents could improve.

"Through the South Sumatra Province KKMD Action Plan, integrated coastal management can be realized. With integrated and collaborative planning, our efforts to realize coastal area conservation can be greater, non-overlapping, and sustainable. "Together, we will look for schemes and develop plans that harmonize environmental preservation with improving the livelihood sources of coastal communities," said Inge Retnowati, Director of Inland Water and Mangrove Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

"We hope collaboration between government, academics, the private sector, NGOs, and all relevant stakeholders can ensure reliable and up-to-date data. "In this way, we can develop coastal management strategies that are adaptive and responsive to environmental dynamics," said Muhammad Ilman, YKAN Indonesia Ocean Program Director.