Indonesia Exotic: Bali Mangrove Forest

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Indonesia Exotic: Bali Mangrove Forest
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Where nature tourism is integrated with conservation efforts
Indonesia, as a tropical island national, has around 17,500 islands with a coastline totaling 81,000 kilometers – a distance equal to twice the circumference of the earth. With this extensive coastline, Indonesia has the world’s greatest mangrove forests: 4.5 million hectares, or a quarter of the world’s total. Bali alone has 2,215 hectares of mangrove forest in various places, and one of the largest is in the Tanjung Benoa area. Mangrove (in Indonesian, bakau) is the name used for a wide variety of trees that grow in seawater tideland areas. Indonesia has around 89 species of mangroves, 30 of which are found in Bali.

Until recently, the public has thought of mangroves as no more than a type of coastal tree with various economic uses. Actually, mangrove forest have many functions, such as protecting the coasts from abrasion by waves, preventing erosion of soil that then washes away into the sea, providing a habitat for marine biota, capturing CO2 and producing O2 - oxygen – which is needed by humans and other living creatures. Mangrove forests can also be developed as ecotourism venues, with the mission of promoting proper management and conservation of the environment.

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