Mangrove Forest in Youtefa Bay Damaged

Mangrove Forest in Youtefa Bay Damaged

JAYAPURA, Kompas – Bridge and Holtekamp road construction projects by Papua Provincial Government terribly damage mangrove forest along Mendug Coast, Youtefa Bay, Jayapura City. Enggros Village around the forest inhabited by hundreds of residents will also suffer from abrasion and is prone to tsunami after earthquake.

According to Kompas monitoring on Sunday (2/1), hundreds of mangrove forest along 7-kilometer Mendug Coast has been cut down by project workers.

Mangrove forest area along coastal line reaches 70 meters. However, the cut-down mangrove area reaches 35 meters. Most of used land is buried with limestone as the base of road construction. The current mangrove forest is only 2 kilometers along coastal line.

Papua River Current Route and Coastal Area Conservation Institute Director, Yehuda Hamokwaron, in Mendug Coast yesterday said Papua Public Works Department and Papua X National Road Institute conducting the project have violated environmental impact analysis (amdal).

“I am one of amdal arrangers for berth and road construction project with 8-kilometer length. In the latest discussion last year, we agreed that the project would not disrupt mangrove forest in Mendug. However, the fact is not appropriate with the amdal,” he said.

Yehuda said mangrove forest plays an important role for the pople in Enggros Village since the forest prevents tsunami. “Enggros has been hit by tsunami several times. The latest incident occurred on March 11^th 20122. There were no fatalities due to mangrove forest,” he said.

An environment activist from Port Numbay Green Care Forum, Andre Liem, said planting 8,500 mangrove trees in Mendug for the last four years is in waste. “Bureaucracy does not appreciate our efforts to save mangrove trees in Youtefa,” he said.

Dian Wasaraka, an environment activist, said the project construction in Youtefa Bay area violates Law No. 26/2007 about National Conservation Area Spatial since the bay is included as national conservation area.

“The regulation states national conservation area is the place whose spatial utilization is restricted. The main purpose is to protect environment preservation and cultural heritage as well as to lower natural disaster impact,” Dian said.

Related to the matter, Jayapura City Environment Agency Head, Ketty Kailola, said her office will ask for responsibility from Papua Public Works Department over mangrove forest damage in Youtefa. “We are ready to struggle for mangrove forest rehabilitation. If project is built on mangrove forest, rehabilitation should be provided,” she said. (Kompas)