Villagers Restore Mangrove Forest in Sulawesi Tenggara Amid Oil Project Threat

Bakring and residents of Tapulaga Village in Soropia subdistrict, Konawe Regency, Sulawesi Tenggara, Indonesia began replanting Rhizopora sp. mangrove trees in 2017. The community aims to restore the coastal ecosystem after widespread deforestation. Mangrove forests of the beropa (Sonneratia alba) species thrived along the coast in the 1970s and 1980s.

The restoration effort faces a new threat from a proposed oil and gas terminal project. Residents worry the project will further damage the recovering mangrove forest and disrupt the local ecosystem.

The community’s initiative demonstrates local agency in ecological recovery. The future of the restored mangrove forest and the coastal environment now depends on whether the oil and gas terminal project proceeds and how it impacts the area.