Enviro News Asia, Denpasar – Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry reaffirmed its commitment to protecting and restoring the country’s mangrove ecosystems by strengthening rehabilitation programs across 2.73 million hectares of mangrove forests under its jurisdiction during the 2026 World Mangrove Day commemoration in Bali.
The announcement was made by Deputy Minister of Forestry Rohmat Marzuki at the national celebration held at Ngurah Rai Grand Forest Park (Tahura Ngurah Rai), Denpasar, on Sunday. The event was jointly organized by the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH), the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, and the Bali Provincial Government.
Indonesia currently possesses 3.45 million hectares of mangrove forests, representing approximately 23 percent of the world’s mangrove ecosystems, according to the 2025 National Mangrove Map. Of that total, around 2.73 million hectares, or about 80 percent, are located within state forest areas managed by the Ministry of Forestry.
Rohmat Marzuki emphasized that Indonesia’s vast mangrove resources carry a global responsibility to ensure their sustainable management.
He reported that, by the end of 2025, the Ministry of Forestry and its partners had successfully rehabilitated 91,678 hectares of mangrove forests. In 2026, the ministry aims to restore more than 17,000 additional hectares through partnerships with international development programs, including Mangroves for Coastal Resilience (M4CR), Forest Programme VI, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Nature-based Solutions for Climate-Smart Livelihoods in Mangrove Landscapes (Nasclim).
According to the ministry, mangrove rehabilitation has generated significant environmental and socio-economic benefits. The initiative has created employment opportunities for 64,386 people, supported the establishment of 63 village regulations on mangrove ecosystem protection and management, and distributed community business grants totaling IDR 16.29 billion.
The ministry stated that future mangrove conservation efforts will continue to focus on strengthening commitment, collaboration, and innovation among stakeholders while supporting the implementation of Government Regulation No. 27 of 2025 and the National Mangrove Protection and Management Plan (RPPEM) 2026–2055.
The World Mangrove Day program included mangrove planting activities at Batu Lumbang Mangrove Ecotourism, symbolic seedling distribution, a nationwide simultaneous tree-planting teleconference, and discussions on the development of Integrated Mangrove Landscape Management. The Ministry of Forestry reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding mangrove forests while improving the livelihoods of Indonesia’s coastal communities. (*)
