Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 19
Observations of Natural Recruitment
and Human Attempts at Mangrove
Rehabilitation After Seismic (Tsunami
and Earthquake) Events in Simeulue Island
and Singkil Lagoon, Aceh, Indonesia
Ben Brown , Woro Yuniati , Rio Ahmad , and Iona Soulsby
Abstract
The December, 2004 tsunami and March 2005 earthquake along the Sunda
Megathrust off the Western Coast of Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia not only resulted in
catastrophic losses of life and livelihood, but also changed the very shape of the land
and coast. The effects of this rapid change in coastal geomorphology are well
expressed in a pair of locations, the remote Island of Simeulue, relatively unknown
even in Indonesia before the tsunami, and the district of Singkil, which includes a
mainland section as well as the
Banyak
(Many) Islands. Simeulue and Singkil effec-
tively straddle the Sunda Megathrust, yet experienced the cumulative effects of the
tsunami and earthquakes differently, with Simeulue Island undergoing seismic uplift
while coastal mainland Singkil subsided. After the seismic events, at least 163 sepa-
rate institutions (government agencies, local and international non-governmental
organizations) planned and implemented mangrove rehabilitation activities in Aceh,
including over a dozen in Simeulue and Singkil districts. (Brown and Yuniati
2008
)
Despite a great deal of commitment from such organizations to bringing back man-
groves in the affected areas, the majority of the rehabilitation attempts, which mainly
relied on hand planting methods, failed to restore mangrove forests. All the while,
mangroves were naturally recruiting seismically repositioned intertidal surfaces, and
growing well. Near to total mortality was observed in 6 out of 7 planting sites in the
two districts, while recruitment rates, stem densities and species diversity in nearby
intertidal zones indicated that natural recovery was well underway. When comparing
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