IO – According to a Decree of the President of RI Number 24 of 2008, the 28th of November is declared as “Tree-Planting Day”. This is meant to make people aware of and caring for the importance of recovering forest resources and damaged land. It was then known as the “One Man One Tree” campaign.
To commemorate Tree-Planting Day in Indonesia this year, Aston Priority Simatupang Hotel and Conference Center organizes a planting of 4,000 mangrove seedlings in Lesser Tidung Island, complemented with a lecture on the importance of our mangrove ecosystem. This is meant to help preserve the ecosystem in Seribu Islands. The Aston Simatupang team went directly to Lesser Tidung with members of the Marine Cultivation and Conservation Center; the DKI Jakarta Provincial Food Security, Maritime Affairs, and Agricultural Affairs Office; and the Jakarta Mangrove Community, on 27 November 2021, with continued strict implementation of health protocols.
Mangrove forests are essential for the prevention of erosion and abrasion in coastal areas, the formation of islands, the stabilization of coastal soil, natural filter of wastes, as well as the residence of livelihood of animals such as fish, crabs, turtles, and birds.
Zaenab Biki, Head of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Food Security, Maritime Affairs, and Agricultural Affairs Office’s Marine Conservation and Cultivation Center Technical Executive Unit, declared that they will continue to plant mangrove trees to ensure the preservation of the ecosystem, thus reducing soil abrasion due to the wave action. Furthermore, trees will also help mitigate the impact of greenhouse gases caused by extreme climate change.
“It is a point of pride for us to be able to participate in the event, with its noble purpose and great impact on the preservation of the mangrove ecosystem. This effort will also support the ‘blue economy’ program that sustainably utilizes maritime resources for economic growth, by improving coastal people’s livelihood, as well as maintaining the health of the marine ecosystem,” said Aston Director of Marketing Communications Paundra Hanutama. “The ‘blue economy’ scheme includes many important activities: marine transportation, fishery, the use of renewable energies, the tourism industry and climate change.”