Nusantara selected as pilot site for mangrove restoration project

3 hours ago

Penajam Paser Utara (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s future capital, Nusantara (IKN), in East Kalimantan, has been selected as a pilot site for mangrove rehabilitation under the Mangroves for Coastal Resilience (M4CR) initiative led by the Ministry of Forestry.

Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN) Head Basuki Hadimuljono said during an M4CR event in North Penajam Paser, East Kalimantan, on Saturday that the World Bank-supported program will also be implemented across East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, Riau, and North Sumatra provinces.

“We are ready to serve as a pilot location. The prototype developed in Nusantara will later be replicated in North Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Riau, and North Sumatra,” Hadimuljono said.

While mangrove rehabilitation has already begun in Nusantara, the M4CR program will expand the authority’s role in restoring coastal ecosystems, he added.

The authority aims to rehabilitate about 1,100 hectares (2,718 acres) of mangroves in Nusantara by 2027, including around 150 hectares allocated under the M4CR program.

“The M4CR program targets completion by 2027, so we need to accelerate our work. Nusantara aims to rehabilitate around 1,100 hectares of mangroves in total, with about 150 hectares allocated under the M4CR program,” he said.

Hadimuljono expressed confidence that the planting target would be achieved on schedule.

Muhammad Zainal Arifin, executive director of the M4CR program and secretary of the Ministry of Forestry’s Directorate General of Watershed Management and Forest Rehabilitation, said Nusantara was chosen as the initial implementation site so it could serve as a national model.

“We want other regional governments to replicate what is being demonstrated in Nusantara. Strong ecological foundations will ensure sustainable social and economic growth in the future,” Arifin said.