Evaluation of two-year mangrove rehabilitation using Rhizophora apiculata propagules in Lubuk Kertang Village, North Sumatra

Abstract

Mangrove forests in North Sumatera are rapidly threatened due to anthropogenic activities. The study site was former oil palm plantation, and the areas can be reforested. The present study describes a two-year evaluation on mangrove seedlings in Lubuk Kertang Village, Langkat, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The rehabilitation was carried out on December 2015 using direct planting of 6,000 Rhizophora apiculata propagules which were evaluated twice in September 2017 and January 2018. The evaluation was divided into four plots consisting of hundred seedlings each, and the criteria of mangrove rehabilitation consisted of seedling diameter and height, leaf thickness and number, and seedling growth rate. Results showed that the growth rate for a two-year evaluation of first and second observation was 89 and 92 %, respectively. Similarly, the height, diameter, and some leaves seedlings planting showed better performance in the second measurement. The data are likely to confirm relevant information on successful rehabilitation using recommended species for degraded areas and availability of mangrove propagules in the area.