Sungsang Mangrove Restoration and Ecotourism (SMART)

Action research for community-based mangrove restoration and sustainable enterprise

CIFOR-ICRAF, Sriwijaya University, and the South Sumatra Watershed Forum (Forum DAS Sumsel) are undertaking Participatory Action Research (PAR) to develop locally accepted and sustainable business models in Sungsang Area in Indonesia’s Banyuasin District, South Sumatra Province.

The project seeks to help communities generate sustainable incomes from mangrove restoration, strengthen local policies for mangrove restoration, and contribute to national and global mangrove restoration agendas. It is supported by Singapore’s Temasek Foundation and runs for four years from November 2021 to November 2025.

Mangrove tree in Pasir Timbul Island, Sungsang village. Photo by Ricky Martin/CIFOR-ICRAF

Working together with local communities, the project team is engaged in ongoing mangrove replanting in selected action arenas. They are also carrying out business model development activities such as capacity building, strengthening community institutions, and implementing business plans in sectors such as ecotourism, tree adoption, mangrove nurseries, and crab silvofishery. The ecotourism arm of the project is also supported by the local and national government.

For further info, please visit https://www.cifor-icraf.org/community-business-mangrove

Community-based mangrove nursery facility in Sungsang IV village, Banyuasin district, South Sumatra, Indonesia. Photo by Ricky Martin/CIFOR-ICRAF

 

Mangrove planting activities with community. Photo by Ricky Martin/CIFOR-ICRAF