Bandarlampung, Ekuatorial – Dipasena fish farmers blasted company’s coastal reclamation for mangrove forest destruction that led to declining shrimp production.
Mangrove forest, or often dubbed as the green belt by Dipasena fish farmers, protects their ponds from tides and wind. In addition, trees are also serve as water resources for shrimp ponds.
However, at least 30 hectares of mangrove forest has been destroyed. Local fish farmers blamed on PT Central Protaina Prima, former Bumi Dipasena management, for its technical failure on revitalizing the coastal area.
They have claimed that the forest was flooded with mud during the program.
“There used to be a forest here. But, CP Prima came to dredge canals and release mud to the forests. [As a result] trees are dying,” said Junaidi, local villager whose village became the first to be revitalized by the company, to Ekuatorial, last month.
Furthermore, he said that leaves turned to yellow and trunks collapsed because of high tide. In addition, sea water flooded villagers’ fish ponds located in the area.
In a recent visit, Minister of Marine and Fisheries, Susi Pudjiastuti also criticized on the state of the mangrove forest. “I have seen mangrove tress cut down. How do you expect fish farmers to manage their fish ponds in a sustainable way?” she said.
Bumi Dipasena covers 16,000 hectares with a total of 20,000 tons per year and considered as the largest shrimp ponds in Southeast Asia. However, its shrimp production has been declining for the past five years due to shrimp diseases and degraded environment.
Meanwhile, Yulian M Riza, spokesman for PT CPP, denied that the company was to blame for mangrove destruction.
“To preserve mangrove is the main requirement for the product to be exported to overseas. So, it is impossible that the company is causing all those damages,” said Riza.
Instead, PT CPP had rehabilitated coastal areas damaged by abrasion and humans. “We even built a dam to protect mangrove in Block 2 and Block 3 which are threatened from abrasion,” he said. Eni Muslihah