ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – Wetland ecosystems have a very important role in supporting the conservation of biodiversity in Indonesia.
Head of the Sub-Directorate for Species and Genetic Preservation at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Badi’ah, said that water flow in nutrient-rich wetlands is a supporting factor for preserving biodiversity, especially rare species.
“This is the importance of wetlands as habitat for key species, rare and endemic species in Indonesia,” he said, quoted Friday, February 9 2024.
Badi’ah gave the example of a population of proboscis monkeys that depend on wetlands for their living.
The long-nosed monkey takes shoots and eats fruits that grow in wetland ecosystems. Apart from that, wetlands provide easy access to water needs that are well filtered, so they are safe from sediment and pollutants.
“The endemic species that live there are doing better because of the availability of sufficient food,” he said.
Indonesia has seven wetland sites designated for international purposes under the Ramsar Convention, namely Berbak National Park, Sembilang National Park, Danau Sentarum National Park, Wasur National Park, Pulau Rambut Wildlife Reserve, and Tanjung Puting National Park.
Apart from that, according to Badi’ah, wetlands are also a breeding ground for proboscis monkeys because the dense vegetation cover allows them to build nests and live in groups.
“The wetland ecosystem and lush vegetation protect the proboscis monkeys from predators,” he said.
The National Peat and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) is targeting peatland restoration of 1.2 million hectares and mangrove restoration of 600 thousand hectares in the four years from 2021 to 2024.
Head of the BRGM Education and Socialization Working Group, Suwignya Utama, said that his party was taking two approaches to restore peatlands in Indonesia.
First, a technical approach by discussing damaged peatlands, planting trees and economic revitalization. Second, the institutional aspect to maintain the sustainability of wetlands by strengthening the institutions of community groups and villages.
“Last year we reached 271,721 hectares of peat area that maintained its wetness,” said Suwignya.
He further revealed that peat is closely related to fires. The majority of fires that occur originate from dry peat.
BRGM has a number of efforts to keep peat from burning, starting from real-time monitoring of water levels, infrastructure development (canal blocking, drilled wells, and revegetation), wetting operations through weather modification technology, to institutional support. (AT Network)
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