Lembongan Mangrove Forest - Part 1

Nusa Lembongan is 25% mangrove forest

Mangrove forest in Nusa Lembongan comprises the entire north north-east coastline of the island. With an area of approximately 200 hectares*, or 2 square kilometers of Lembongan's total 8 kilometers, it makes up roughly 25% of the islands size.

Ecologically, mangroves provide a broad spectrum of benefits for coastal ecosystems: namely as a wildlife habitat, aquatic nursery, and filtering heavy sediments while storing massive carbon biomass.

Mostly overlooked as a tourist destination, mangrove forests are now increasingly visited as an eco-tour, where visitors can get a sense of unexplored marine habitat and get a feel for the delicate balance of coastal ecosystems. This is good news for the preservation of this vital component of the island's marine balance.

Lembongan mangrove village

Since November 2010, Nusa Penida waters (including Nusa Lembongan) has been established as a Marine Protected Area (MPA). The last recorded studies of this MPA is already a decade old: 2007-2009. In that ALOS data analysis, the coverage of mangrove in Nusa Lembongan was seen changing (the type and density of trees decreased). In order to sustain the mangrove forest, some positive efforts have been implemented by increasing the local community awareness on the importance of the existence of mangrove ecosystems, both ecologically and economically. 

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1. * http://fpmbali.org/en/mangrove/bali
2. * http://www.bpol.litbang.kkp.go.id/old/pdf/22336232011_Nuryani_Widagti_Changes_in_Density_of_Mangrove_Forest_in_Nusa_Lembongan.pdf