Fahmi Rizwansyah says:
With a total coastal length of more than 81,000 kilometers, comprising 14 per cent of the Earth's shoreline, Indonesia has the longest coastline in the world. The range of marine ecosystems in Indonesia is extremely varied, especially the coastal ecosystems. These ecosystems support a huge collection of species. Indonesia is home to the most extensive mangrove forests, seagrass beds and spectacular coral reefs in Asia. Mangroves are most extensive on the east coast of Sumatra, and the coasts of Kalimantan, and Irian Jaya (which alone has 69 percent of Indonesia's mangrove habitat). While the deep blue seas of Maluku and Sulawesi harbor some of the worlds richest ecosystems in terms of the corals, fishes, and other reef organisms.
Indonesia's coastal waters provide feeding havens to large groups of marine mammals, reptiles, fish, and both resident and migratory birds. Besides, these coastal zones also provide many important services for people living in coastal settlements. The shallow coastal regions with offshore reefs and inshore mangrove forests protect the coastline from the adverse effects of high tides and storms. Indonesia's reefs are traditionally an essential source of food for coastal dwelling communities, a tradition which in the past has been carried out in a sustainable way and is of considerable economic value to the country. Rituals and taboos are commonly applied where marine resources are being exploited. In Sangihe Talaud for example, an area habitually fished by an adat community member becomes a reserve for a period after his death.
Indonesia's coastal zone supporst the highest concentrations of human populations in the country. Current estimations reveal 7100 coastal communities, many of which rely on traditional ways of fishing in waters close to the shores. Today these communities face many threats to their way of life. These threats include overfishing from national and foreign vessels, widespread collection of coral reefs, and in many communities dynamite fishing.
Every effort should be made to ensure that the ongoing development in Indonesia is planned with the interest of the environment and its people in mind. Development should be planes to preserve the integrity and beauty of Indonesia's abundant, valuable, and often irreplaceable bounty of natural resources.
by wwf.
Cheers, frizzy2008.