70% Of Indonesian Mangrove Forests Damaged Or Degraded - 6.7 Million Hectares In All - Antara

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Pontianak, West Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - Around 6.7 million hectares or 70 percent of Indonesia`s mangrove forest areas measuring a total of 9.4 million hectares were damaged, an expert said.

"The damages of the country`s mangrove forest areas were mainly due to human encroachment such as for settlement, ponds, and plantation," Prof. Dr. Cecep Kusmana, a lecturer from The Bogor Institute of Technology, said here on Monday after visiting a mangrove development area at Batu Ampar, Pontianak District.

Data from the Indonesian forestry ministry showed that 4.5 million hectares of mangrove areas were moderately damaged, and 2.2 million hectares were seriously degraded. Rehabilitation programs launched by the government could not catch up with the phase of the damage. Between 2004 and 2005, the government managed to rehabilitate 34,601 hectares of mangrove areas, and in 2006 around 2,790 hectares.

"Despite the vast damages, Indonesia relatively has better mangrove forest areas than other countries in the region, because Indonesia still has intact mangrove areas in on Papua and Kalimantan Islands," he said.

EDIT

http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2007/6/25/around-70-percent-of-mangrove-forests-damaged/