The mangrove ecosystem plays a crucial role in the environment, such as protecting coastlines from erosion, providing a habitat for various species including fish and birds, sequestering carbon to mitigate the impact of climate change, absorbing pollutants from seawater, and supporting local economies through tourism and fishing. However, many mangrove ecosystems have been lost due to land conversion for aquaculture, industrial areas, and residential developments.
President Joko Widodo stated that Indonesia boasts the world’s largest mangrove forest covering an area of up to 3.3 million hectares. Data from the Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency of Republic Indonesia (Badan Restorasi Gambut dan Mangrove / BRGM) indicates that around 931,000 hectares of mangrove forest require rehabilitation.
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To expedite the preservation of mangrove ecosystems, the National Scout Movement (Kwarnas Gerakan Pramuka) and EcoNusa Foundation initiated collaboration through a badge challenge called a mangrove badge as part of the Special Proficiency Badge for Scout members at all levels. After the process of drafting the modules and guidelines, the mangrove badge was introduced during the Mangrove Badge Challenge Workshop in front of 40 Scout leaders in Ambon, Maluku Province, on Friday, October 6, 2023.
“The Mangrove Badge Challenge is a follow-up to the Memorandum of Understanding between the EcoNusa Foundation and the National Scout Movement signed in 2022. We hope that Scouts, with their large numbers, can make a significant contribution to environmental preservation through this mangrove badge,” said Gadri Attamimi, Head of the EcoNusa Office in the Maluku Islands. The World Organization of the Scout Movement data stated that in 2021, Indonesia had the largest number of Scout members in the world, totaling 25.27 million members.
Saul R.J. Saleky, a member of the Community Service Commission of the National Scout Movement (Kwarnas Gerakan Pramuka), stated that the Mangrove Badge Challenge is part of the efforts to conserve the environment, as one of the objectives of the Scout Movement.
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According to him, there are several goals for conducting the Mangrove Badge Challenge. These include encouraging Scout members, as the younger generation, to gain knowledge about mangroves, understand their significant role in mitigating the impact of climate change, comprehend the local context of each region in preserving the mangrove ecosystem, and initiate young people to take massive actions and advocate for mangrove protection.
“The Mangrove Badge Challenge will be given to Scout members from the Siaga to Pandega levels with the target of creating a better world from Indonesia for the rest of the world,” he said.
Saul further added that after the workshop, there would be a trial run of the Mangrove Badge Challenge. Apart from Maluku Province, the trial will also be conducted in Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi. Upon the trial, the Mangrove Badge Challenge will be implemented nationwide in Indonesia in 2024-2025. The Indonesia Scout Movement plans to present this challenge at the global level through several stages from 2025 to 2028.
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“After this activity, we hope that Scout leaders will disseminate the message to their Gugus Depan (Gudep) members, encouraging them to carry out activities as outlined in the guide book, publish their activities on personal or Gudep social media accounts using the hashtags #mangrovebadge and #mangrovebadgechallenge, and report their activities on www.scout.org,” he said.
Saiful Alianmaskati, the Secretary of the Maluku Provincial Scout Council (Kwarda Provinsi Maluku), expressed his positive hope that the Mangrove Badge Challenge would proceed as planned, allowing the Scouts to contribute effectively to mangrove conservation.
“We hope that in the future, our Scout members can play an active role in ensuring the success of the Mangrove Badge Challenge. It is our main objective that our Scouts can comprehend and be committed to environmental preservation actions,” he stated.
Editor: Nur Alfiyah, Swiny Adestika
