Strengthen Pari Island

The people of Pari Island, located in the South Thousand Islands District, Jakarta, face serious threats to access and control over the community-managed area that has supported their lives for decades. The main threat comes from attempts to control the entire land of Pari Island for the benefit of the tourism industry. In addition, the reclamation of Tengah Island has also caused damage to coral reefs in the shallow waters around Pari Island, which have long been a source of livelihood for fishermen and seaweed farmers.

The community also faces mangrove destruction in the Pari Island cluster. In fact, they planted these mangroves as an effort to adapt to climate change and mitigate tidal disasters. Due to the impact of climate change, Pari Island has lost 11% of its land and is increasingly experiencing tidal floods that are difficult to predict with local knowledge. All of these threats have a direct impact on the welfare of the community, especially due to the decreasing carrying capacity of marine and land ecosystems.

To involve more residents in efforts to protect their island from exploitation, the Pari Island Community, which is part of the Pari Island Care Forum (FPPP), has taken the initiative to strengthen economic efforts and water conservation. This initiative includes mangrove planting, coral reef rehabilitation, and economic efforts of the FPPP women's group. Through the support of the Nusantara Fund Direct Funding, various activities have been carried out.

The women's group consisting of 20 people plays an active role in production efforts, such as making salted fish and breadfruit chips. The results of this production not only provide benefits for individuals but also add to the group's cash flow. In addition, the FPPP women's group is also involved in environmental-based tourism activities, one of the main efforts being mangrove planting tourism. Tourists can plant mangroves on Pari Island, priced at IDR 5.000 per tree. The profits from the FPPP women's group's efforts are used entirely for the welfare of members and to support organizational activities. FPPP also provides motorboats that can be used for the benefit of members and to support organizational activities, such as transportation in conservation programs and marine-based economic development.

The Mangrove and Coral Reef Recovery House was also built to function as an education and rehabilitation center for coastal ecosystems. FPPP uses it as a place to store mangrove seedlings and a learning center for the community in environmental conservation efforts. The mangrove & reef house will also strengthen the efforts of FPPP women's groups in environmental-based tourism activities.

In addition, in September 2024, the Pari Island community implemented a coral reef transplantation program involving 12 technical team members. A total of 50 coral reef support shelf modules were installed in waters with a transplant area of ​​30 meters. With an average growth of 3-10 cm per year, the community hopes that this ecosystem can recover and provide ecological and economic benefits.

The first monitoring was carried out two months after transplantation, then continued every four months until it became annual monitoring. In the next 2-3 years, this rehabilitation is expected to not only support the life of marine biota but also open up new opportunities in tourism and environmental education.