Kupang Rehabilitates Mangrove Forest

Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, Oct 9 (Antara) - The Kupang city administration said it would gradually rehabilitate the mangrove forests along the beach of the coastal city, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province. The mangrove forest has been damaged over the past year because there has been no protection from the government. "Other city officials and I have planted 520 mangrove tree seedlings in the Oesapa beach on the occasion of the habitat day commemoration," Kupang mayor Jonas Salean said. The city administration plans to preserve the mangrove forest, to protect the ecosystem, Jonas said here on Wednesday. The characteristics of Kupang development that is based more on services and trade has necessitated the opening of the beach area for hotel and restaurant projects in a bid to promote tourist industry . The project would certainly affect the existence of the mangrove forest , but the project owners are required to restore the condition to protect the ecosystem, he said. Deputy for beach protection of WWF Indonesia for East Nusa Tenggara Zakarias Atapada asked the government to continue to protect the environment. Development of tourism industry must not cause damage to the environment , Zakaria said. He said development of the tourism industry in Kupang has encroached on the beach area destroying mangrove forests and damaging the ecosystem. He said mangrove functions to protects the beaches from abrasion and to serve as a protection wall against big waves in case of tsunami. "Therefore, rehabilitation of the mangrove forests is absolutely necessary," he said.