East Kalimantan Intensifies Mangrove Rehabilitation in Kukar and Balikpapan
- 23 Jul 2026 18:22 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Poin Utama
- The East Kalimantan Provincial Administration and NGOs are accelerating mangrove rehabilitation to restore degraded coastal areas in Kutai Kartanegara and Balikpapan affected by industrial expansion.
- In conjunction with World Mangrove Planting Day on July 26, 2026, the province plans to plant 2,200 mangrove seedlings across one hectare at Lamaru Beach, Balikpapan.
RRI.CO.ID, Samarinda - The East Kalimantan Provincial Administration, together with non‑governmental organizations (NGO), is stepping up interventions on neglected and critical coastal lands caused by industrial expansion. The environmental recovery effort is being implemented through accelerated mangrove rehabilitation in degraded areas of Kutai Kartanegara (Kukar) Regency and Balikpapan City.
“Through collaboration among all parties, mangrove planting is a step to protect coastal areas, improve environmental quality, and realize a greener, more sustainable East Kalimantan,” said Head of East Kalimantan Environmental Agency, Joko Istanto, in Samarinda on Thursday, 23 July 2026.
The mangrove conservation agenda is aligned with World Mangrove Planting Day on 26 July 2026, with the main activity centered at Lamaru Beach in Balikpapan. At that site, the administration aims to plant 2,200 mangrove seedlings across roughly one hectare of land.
Besides Balikpapan, the coastal revegetation campaign also targets the Muara Badak area in Kukar, with implementation coordinated directly by the regional Mangrove Working Group (Pokja).
The aquatic ecosystem conservation effort relies not only on administration agencies but also on active involvement from development partners. One such partner, the Mangrove Lestari Foundation, focuses on coastal rehabilitation and has planted up to 10,000 mangrove seedlings.
Since 2019, the foundation has planted 131 hectares of mangroves and consistently added about 50 hectares per year between 2021 and 2024. New planting area increased significantly to 100 hectares in 2025, with a focus on the Mahakam Delta in Kukar.
Joko Istanto said the collaborative planting actions align with the accelerated preparation of East Kalimantan’s 2026 Mangrove Ecosystem Protection and Management Plan (RPPEM).
“This integrated management plan document is prepared specifically to secure the total mangrove ecosystem area in East Kalimantan, which currently reaches 239,805 hectares,” he said, as quoted by Antara.
He added that the plan will make coastal area management tasks far more structured. The Forestry Agency will have full responsibility for areas with forest status, while the Environmental Agency and the Marine and Fisheries Agency will jointly manage lands outside forest zones up to the 12‑nautical‑mile limit.
Cross‑sector integration and involvement of NGOs are considered essential to intervene on neglected or crisis‑affected coastal lands caused by industrial development. The initiative is expected to help restore the environmental carrying capacity of the affected areas. ***
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