In response to the large-scale loss of mangroves in Indonesia, Eden launched its Indonesia mangrove reforestation program in 2018 with a vision to bring back the vitality of the mangrove forests that fringe the coastlines of this complex and rich island nation.
We are working alongside communities experiencing extreme poverty in Eastern Indonesia to provide consistent employment through mangrove reforestation projects.
The project is located on the Biak Island in the province of Papua (formerly Irian Jaya), the largest and easternmost province of Indonesia (comprising most of Western New Guinea)
The island is situated in Coral Triangle between the Bird’s Head Peninsula and the mainland of New Guinea, an area recognized as the global center of marine biodiversity and a global priority for conservation because of the broad range of species it supports, including at least 500 species of reef-building corals.
Biak island's culture is predominantly Melanesian and hosts a population of 112,873 people, and one of Indonesia’s most impoverished areas, where subsistence farmers and fishers make up approximately 75% of the population.
The Island features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the year.
Mangrove deforestation has left coastal communities vulnerable to flooding due to extreme weather events such as tropical storms. Locals rely on healthy mangroves to support fisheries and protect against extreme weather conditions.
One restoration area is located on a lowland mangrove forest along the eastern edge of the Biak Island near the village of Mnurwar.
The other restoration area is located on the small Padaidori island located to the east of Biak Island
Both sites were severely damaged by the 1996 Irian Jaya earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which laid waste to many coastal mangrove buffers, destroying mangrove forests, homes, and infrastructure.
Eden plants only native mangrove species, including Avicennia marina, Rhizophora mucronata, and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza across reforestation sites to properly restore coastal ecosystems.
Both the government and local communities are in support of the long-term conservation and restoration of this area.
Indonesia