Mangrove Distribution and Its Imperative for a Collaborative Ecosystem Management Approach in Maluku

摘要

Mangrove forest contains a large amount of non-biodegradable organic materials. Therefore, the forest plays an important role in mitigating climate change by absorbing carbon and sequestrating greenhouse gases. Though this is beneficial to both humans and the ecosystem, the existence of mangrove habitats is increasingly threatened due to the indiscriminate utilization of unsustainable forests for development purposes. These include the production of building materials, firewood, and charcoal. The major factor which leads to this indiscriminate utilization is the lack of knowledge about the important roles of the forests. Consequently, it has become necessary to develop the concept of mangrove ecosystem management using an integrative and collaborative zoning approach. The aim of this study is to determine the condition of mangrove vegetation in West Seram Regency, and the appropriate approach to its management zoning policies. It was conducted using vegetation and spatial analysis, and the results showed that there were 13 species of mangroves. Due to this diversity and the threats to mangrove ecosystems, management policies which integrates the ecological, social and economic aspects of the ecosystems need to be developed. Furthermore, these policies should divide mangroves into protection and utilization zones. In conclusion, the coordination and development of a collaborative management approach is very essential to the sustainability mangrove ecosystems.