TANGERANG – The Indonesian Palm Oil Entrepreneurs Association (GAPKI) has been awarded with an environmental award called “Outstanding Conserving Sustainable Nature” Award for its green efforts to rehabilitate and preserve mangrove forests.
The environmental award was presented during the occasion of Greener Campaign initiated by Radio Elshinta at Ketapang Urban Aquaculture, Ketapang Village, Tangerang regency, Banten province.
GAPKI Executive Director, Mukti Sardjono, said that as an organization of palm oil producers GAPKI does not only focus on palm oil business alone. “We’re also concerned with the sustainability of nature as a whole. Preserving mangrove is very important to maintain climate resilience and coastal ecosystems. We’ll keep supporting efforts of conserving the environment as it is our commitment,” Mukti said during the greener campaign in Tangerang on Monday.
The mangrove conservation, which also involves the Tangerang Regency Government, PLN, Radio Elshinta, and various environmentalist communities, such as WALHI and the Mangrove Jakarta Community, was carried out with a spirit of togetherness. As part of this campaign, participants planted mangrove trees and released 64 mimi or belangkas, a rare and endangered species, into local waters.
Tangerang District Regional Secretary Soma Atmaja said that Ketapang Village has been actively rehabilitating mangroves since 2014. The village even plans to build a Mangrove Research Center in collaboration with Bogor University of Agribulture (IPB). “We do not inherit this earth from our ancestors, but we borrow it from our grandchildren. So, we need to preserve it by planting trees. Planting trees is never too late,” Soma said, emphasizing the importance of long-term conservation.
Ketapang Becomes Model for Sustainable Coastal Management
The success of mangrove conservation in Ketapang Village has drawn the attention of international institutions, such as the World Bank and UNDP, which see the village as a model in managing coastal areas sustainably. The Editor-in-Chief of Radio Elshinta, Haryo Ristamaji, also highlighted the important role of environmental education in preventing coastal abrasion and maintaining ecosystem balance. “Mangroves function as a natural barrier against extreme waves, prevent erosion, and create habitats for birds and marine biota such as horseshoe crabs,” said Haryo.
GAPKI’s Efforts in Other Locations
Besides the mangrove rehabilitation in Tangerang, GAPKI has also contributed to the rehabilitation of 50 hectares of mangrove forest in West Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan, during the last three years. The program aims to prevent abrasion in an area with the highest rate of coastal erosion in the province.
Inspiring Further Steps for Environmental Sustainability
By receiving the green award, GAPKI hopes to inspire more groups of people to take part in preserving the environment. “Such activity is necessary to maintain the sustainability of environment and create a greener future for the next generations,” he said.
The GAPKI initiative shows that environmental sustainability is a shared responsibility. Hopefully, more people and organizations will be moved to pursue the efforts of protecting the planet. (*)
