On August 1st, we celebrated MPA Day with a special focus on children and mangroves in the Nusa Penida MPA. Since 2022, CTC partnered with the Gili Bhuana Group to rehabilitate mangrove forests in Nusa Lembongan affected by local development. To date, 7,965 square meters of mangrove area have been replanted, covering 44.5% of the damaged forest. Meanwhile, the Ocean Keeper Club, which started in March 2022, plays a significant role in educating children about marine environments. Through interactive sessions, the Club has impacted 781 children in the Sanur area and has extended its outreach to 261 more in the Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area (MPA). We continue to encourage public involvement by combining the initiatives of the Ocean Keeper Club with the restoration of damaged mangrove areas in Nusa Penida MPA, especially in Nusa Lembongan, featuring fun, educational and mangrove planting activities for children.

Attended by 50 students, including from SDN 3 Lembongan and SDN 1 Jungutbatu. The event was started at 9 am in the morning with engaging educational classes about mangrove ecosystems and interactive bingo games. In the bingo games, students worked in teams to identify various elements found in the mangrove forest, such as parts of mangrove trees, insects, crabs and other components of the ecosystem. After a delicious lunch, the adventure continued with a hands-on mangrove planting session in our conservation area.

With the assistance of our facilitators, the students planted 60 mangrove seedlings, contributing to the ongoing efforts to restore and protect the mangrove habitat. Although  the children are originally from villages in Nusa Lembongan, not all of them had visited a mangrove forest before. While most were familiar with mangrove trees, they had not fully understood their benefits until that day. It was a great experience to share knowledge with the children, who are our future generation and have responsibility for environmental sustainability into the future.  They showed a lot of enthusiasm throughout the event, and, by the end of the day fthey were not only more aware of the importance of mangroves but also happy to be actively involved in the activities.

As the event concluded, we introduced the soft launch of our Adopt-A-Mangrove program, reflecting our ongoing commitment to conservation. Mangroves are vital coastal ecosystems that offer significant benefits, including carbon absorption and coastal protection. It is crucial to protect these areas to maintain their role in environmental health and climate stability. This program also aims to support the coastal community and foster long-term collaboration and outreach education. Through this initiative, we hope that people will contribute to the rehabilitation of mangroves in the Nusa Penida MPA.

Writer: Rara Karenina
Photos: Adam Putra/CTC, Herni Frilia/CTC