Oil Spill in Pulau Rambut and its possible long-term impact on mangrove as waterbirds habitat

Abstract

In July 2019, an oil spill incident in the northern West Java has reached Pulau Rambut, a Wildlife Sanctuary dedicated for waterbird in Jakarta Bay, Indonesia. The objective of this paper was to record the number of mangrove trees exposed to the oil spill, and provide desk-study analysis of the possible long-term impact of the mangrove. Field visit were conducted on 19 and 22 August. Trees along waterways were examined, plots were stablished in the exposed and non-exposed area. The rhizophores of all trees (n=26) along waterways were covered by the sticky-melted crude-oil, while some leaves were also covered. In the exposed areas, 47 trees (63.51%) were covered by oil, either heavily or partially. For the younger trees, 43.08% poles, 78.74% saplings and 67.35% seedlings were oiled. Desk-study suggested that death of mangrove was not instant, up to one year after the incident for seedlings/sapling. Structural damage of mature trees happened in year-3. Trees and their ecosystem will stabilize in year-5, and recovery can be expected in year-9. As the trees are extremely important for waterbirds, a continuous monitoring of mangrove health need to be conducted to ensure that the waterbirds will not lose their nesting habitat in the future.