19 August 2024
Syafrijal S.Kom
Medan, the Community Service Team of the University of North Sumatra, provided assistance to forest farmer groups in the rehabilitation of the Lubuk Kertang mangrove forest, after illegal logging.
Furthermore, providing assistance in empowering the farmer groups.
The activity team consisted of Dr. Ridwanti Batubara, S.Hut, MP, Afifuddin Dalimunte, S.P, M.P, and Dr. Saleha Hanum, S.Si, M.Si.
The educational activity took place on Tuesday (13/8) at the Purun Serasi Group Workshop, attended by the Head of Lubuk Kertang Village, the Mekar Group and the Purun Serasi Mothers Group in Langkat Regency.
In his statement, Dr. Ridwanti Batubara, S.Hut, MP as the team leader, said that quite serious problems occurred in Lubuk Kertang Village, namely the theft of wood as raw material in the illegal charcoal kitchen industry and the conversion of forests into oil palm plantations.
The peak occurred in September 2023 where at least around 700 hectares of mangrove forest in Lubuk Kertang were damaged due to illegal logging involving the mangrove charcoal industry.
The problem of mangrove theft also occurred in the KTH Mekar social forestry management area in Lubuk Kertang Village.
The theft of mangrove wood in the KTH Mekar area began with the emergence of COVID-19 in early 2020. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the PS Mekar group's tourism business has stopped completely so that there is no source of income for the community.
With the cessation of mangrove tourism businesses, KTH Mekar administrators rarely carry out activities at tourist locations. This situation was exploited by irresponsible parties to enter the PS KTH Mekar Area and steal mangrove wood.
The impact of the mangrove theft is the loss and damage of mangrove trees as a tourist area and the destruction of existing tourist facilities and infrastructure such as tracking roads in the mangrove forest, rest huts, and docks for touring Lubuk.
He explained, based on the existing situation and conditions, it is very important to immediately restore the Lubuk Kertang Mangrove Ecotourism Forest Area and strengthen the institutional organization of KTH Mekar through Community Service (PKM) activities. In this recovery, mentoring and re-empowerment of forest farmer groups (KTH) are needed.
According to him, this mentoring activity begins with educational activities by previously coordinating with KPH Stabat. In addition to education, planting activities, monitoring plant growth and empowering groups will be carried out.
After the workshop, seeds will be given to be planted in the nursery that has been made by the group. In addition, planting with seeds from propagules will also be tried.
"In this activity, the PPM team emphasized that cooperation with various parties such as individuals, the private sector, institutions, NGOs and government agencies should be established to be able to support the mangrove rehabilitation program," he said.
In accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Forestry No. 03 / MENHUT-V / 2004, mangrove forest rehabilitation is an effort to restore the function of mangrove forests that have experienced degradation, to conditions that are considered good and able to carry out ecological and economic functions.
Mangrove forest rehabilitation is carried out to restore and improve the protection function, preservation function and production function. Therefore, mangrove rehabilitation efforts require the right strategy in order to increase the success of the rehabilitation activities.
Through this activity, active community participation is expected in maintaining and restoring the Lubuk Kertang mangrove forest ecosystem and preserving it.
The Community Service Team of the University of North Sumatra, provides assistance to forest farmer groups, in the context of rehabilitating the Lubuk Kertang Langkat mangrove forest.
