A Mangrove is a species plant with a complex root system, dense, and leafy. Thus, it can trap the remnants of organic matter and sediment carry to the sea from the mainland. The Mangroves can also create the mainland due to its detention of sediment and soil so that foster the development of the coastline from time to time. The Mangrove expands the boundaries of the beach and provides the opportunities for terrestrial plants to live and grow in the mainland. The roots of the mangrove trees also keep the banks of the coast from erosion and are expected to participate in overcoming the poor ecosystems in coastal areas and ponds.
The mangroves restoration in the coastal areas is not well integrated with the strengthening and supporting the community response. In this Mangrove Program, IUCCE provides training in related to the climate change, as well as the workshops for the roadmap publication program in order to strengthen the mangrove restoration and improvement of the livelihood through the ACCCRN program (Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Networks). It is a resilience program to the climate change which is initiated by the Rockefeller Foundations. This medium-term program implemented since January 2013 and will end in December 2016. In the Mangrove program, IUCCE worked together with the Bintari Foundation, Mercy Corps Indonesia, as well as the academics from Diponegoro University, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences.
The mangrove program is located in Semarang includes Mangkang Kulon, Mangunharjo, Mangkang Wetan, Randugarut, Karanganyar, Tugurejo, and Trimulyo village. This area became a pilot project in planting the mangrove plants around the banks of the beach, the mangrove species enrichment, making the breakwaters wall and EMR application (Environmental Mangrove Restoration). Introduction to the species of fish which are resistant to the climate shock and the EcoEdu Wisata mangrove development.
In detail, the purpose of the Mangrove program is:
- To improve the coastal ecosystems through the Mangrove planting on land and ponds which were damaged and protect with the waves retention tool (APO).
- To improve the socio – economic through the utilization of the local potential to provide additional income such as optimization of the processing of the marine crop activities.
- To increase the capacity of the community by building the access to the climate information easily and quickly.
- To disseminate the improvement efforts to the other areas.
Hopefully, through this program, Semarang which has been vulnerable to the tidal flooding and coastal erosion can be reduced. Since, the topography fact, Semarang is formed from the sedimentary soil that has not been too long. Besides, the Semarang coastline is reduced each year. With the rehabilitation and replanting the mangroves, several above mentioned things can be overcome.