The mangrove forest areas in Indonesia continue to decline every year as the result of coastal reclamation and land conversion for other uses, according to a non-governmental organization.
"In 1982, Indonesia's mangrove forests covered 3.2 million hectares, of which 1.7 million hectares have been cleared for other purposes until the year 2014," Peoples Coalition for Fisheries Justice (Kiara) Secretary-General, Abdul Halim, was quoted today by ANTARA News.
Initiated by the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi), Kiara is a non-profit organisation to protect and defend the fishermen and people living in coastal regions and small islands.
Abdul noted that in the past, Indonesia's mangrove forests spanned 3.2 million hectares, or 22 percent of the worlds total area of mangrove forests with a high level of biodiversity.
"But, the unrestricted development of fish ponds for aquaculture along the coastal areas has led to the disappearance of millions of hectares of mangrove forests," Abdul said.
He pointed out that other causes include the expansion of palm oil plantations by clearing mangroves and deprivation of coastal areas for the fish processing industry and reclamation.
"Mangrove fruits can actually be processed into food, beverage, taffy, and soap to improve the lives of coastal area dwellers, but many of its forest areas have been destroyed for other purposes," Abdul remarked.