Supporting community-based mangrove forest management as Essential Ecosystem Area in Sungai Pakning, Riau

Abstract

Out of fifty established Essential Ecosystem Area up to 2020, six are located on mangrove forest. To support the government target's achievement of ecological representative protection, at once to enhance the conservation of coastal environment and resources, what has been initiated by Pertamina RU II Sungai Pakning, communities of seven coastal villages on Bukit Batu district, and various actors to rehabilitate and conserve the environment need to be supported through the improvement status as one of wetland type of Essential Ecosystem Area (EEA). Apart from its biological diversity and the carbon stock potentials, this 281.86 hectares of mangrove forest has been developed as an integrated coastal management site which is integrating coastal disaster risk mitigation, protection of mangrove-based biodiversity, wise utilization of wetland through inland aquaculture, education-purpose tourism, the environmental-based communities institutionalization, and as a coastal resources-based alternative livelihood. The result shows that Sungai Pakning Mangrove Forest meets the indication of the essential area from the uniqueness, biodiversity, existing governance, and utilization aspects. The improvement status as Essential Ecosystem Area expectedly also improve the quality of coastal management and promote the wider collaborative management, and encourage sustainable utilization by communities surround mangrove forest.