According to the National Map of Mangroves released last year, Indonesia is home to around 3.44 million hectares of mangrove area.
While reading out statements from Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni in a mangrove- and blue economy-themed dialogue here on Tuesday, the ministry's director of Inland Water and Mangrove Rehabilitation, Inge Retnowati, noted that the regulation has been finalized, pending President Prabowo Subianto's sign of approval.
"This (drafted) regulation will provide an integrated framework for cross-sector and cross-region management of mangrove protection. Moreover, this regulation will help increase the economic, social, and ecological values of mangroves," she pointed out.
Retnowati explained that under the government regulation, mangrove ecosystems would be identified as mangrove landscape units to push for the application of an approach that aligns with the socioeconomic and biophysical aspects of each ecosystem.
The official highlighted that the regulation is designed to serve as a legal basis for stakeholders to take stronger actions against mangrove degradation, including inspection and law enforcement.
She emphasized that such an initiative is required to help Indonesia address the issues its mangrove ecosystems face, such as land tenure conflicts and the lack of knowledge and capacity among local institutions.
"We are also developing a program aimed at boosting the local community's capacity in order to elevate people's living standards, ensure the economic value of their products that are related to mangrove restoration and conservation, and develop locals' self-reliance in green economic activities," she remarked.
