Sustainable coastal wetland management of downstream citarum area (case study in Coastal Wetland of Muara Gembong – Bekasi Regency) | Pengelolaan lahan basah pesisir di daerah citarum hilir secara berkelanjutan (studi kasus: lahan basah Muaragembong Kabupaten Bekasi)

Research was undertaken in Muaragembong coastal wetland. Bekasi Regency, as one of the wetlands in Indonesia, listed in the database of Wetland International under the JAV09 code, originally with a total area of 10,480 hectares. The objectives of this research is to assess and evaluate the current physical conditions and resources of the wetland, and further analysis will be made as to comply with the concept of sustainable development of wetland implemented by stakeholders. Temporal and comparative analysis were conducted to obtain information on land use/land cover change, as well as its related ecosystem dyamics of the wetland. The following four stages of analysis were respectively categorirized: (a) potency analysis and wetland ecosystem conditions; (b) wetland sustainability analysis; (c) zoning plan, and (d) policies of sustainability of wetland development The result indicated that there was a decrease in mangrove cover from 10,955 ha in 1946 (100%) to 186 ha in 2008 (1,7%),. Consequently, the disappearance of two species of each of the flora and fauna, Bruguiera sp (Tancang) and Panthera pardus melas (Macan Tutul Jawa), respectively. The decrease of natural wetland cover to create man-made wetland, such as rice fields and fishponds might be the reason of the dissapperance of flora and fauna. This itself is a natural consequence due to the increase of polulation in 1950s to 2000s, as the prime driver for environmental change. The following number of Government’s regulation policies have taken place to manage the wetland areas. In 1954, it started with a legal entity to support natural conservation with an area of 10,482 ha. (Minister of Agriculture Executive Order No.92/Um/1954). In 2005 the status was changed to permanent productive forest covering 5,170 ha (Minister of Forest Executive Order No.475/Menhut-II/2005). In 2008, a Presidential Executice Order No.64/2008 was issued on integrated spatial planning of seven areas of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Bekasi, Punck, and Cianjur, with an acronym of JABODETABEKPUNCUR. This includes also the Muaragembong wetland.Physically, in the last of 62 years, the area of wetland has undergone abrasion of coastline covering coastal area of 307 ha on the north coast (Tanjung Wetan) and on the west coast (Muara Legon). The most significant abrasion on the north coast was due to sand mining by local inhabitants. While coastal accreation of 979 ha was caused by sedimentation of Ci Tarum (Tarum River) and its tributaries. Satellite remote sensing using LANDSAT imageries and GIS analysis were used for land use/landcover change detection. The management option proposed in this dissertation is to keep the existence and rehabilitation of the remaining Muaragembong Wetland as natural wetland/natural conservation. The rest will be considered as non-natural wetlands, such as ponds and rice field for the livelihood of the local inhabitants. It is recommended to establish a “Coordinative Board comprising Central and Local Governments, local community, and related stakeholders, to manage and to draft strategic plan and to socialize to the community with respect to the importance of wetland ecosystem for sustainable living of human beings and the environment.

Tanggal 2 februari 1971 di kota Ramsar diadakan Konvensi Ramsar yang merupakan konvensi untuk lahan basah yang mempunyai kepentingan internasional terutama sebagai habitat burung air dan berlaku secara formal sejak tahun 1975. Tujuan konvensi ini adalah konservasi dan pemanfaatan lahan basah secara bijaksana melalui aksi nasional dan kerjasama internasional untuk mewujudkan pembangunan secara berkelanjutan di seluruh dunia. Indonesia mengesahkan konvensi Ramsar tersebut berdasarkan Keputusan Presiden Nomor 48 tahun 1991 dan terbentuknya Komite Lahan Basah Nasional pada tahun 1994. Komitmen negara anggota konvensi yaitu negara berkewajiban untuk memasukan konservasi lahan basah ke dalam rencana Tata Ruang Nasional dan melaporkan perkembangan implementasi komitmennya terhadap konvensi yang menjadi catatan publik. Penelitian dilakukan dilahan basah Muaragembong Kabupaten Bekasi, sebagai daerah konservasi yang tercatat dalam database lahan basah Internasional (JAV09) dengan luas 10.480 ha (Silvius et al. 1987), yang merupakan satu dari 718 lahan basah yang telah tercantum dalam database Ramsar. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah, (1) mengevaluasi kondisi dan potensi lahan basah Muaragembong, menyusun zonasi konservasi kawasan lahan basah dan merumuskan kebijakan pengelolaan lahan basah secara berkelanjutan dan dapat diimplementasikan oleh stakeholder. Tahapan analisis adalah; (1) kajian kondisi dan potensi ekosistem lahan basah, (2) meyusun zonasi kawasan lahan basah, (3) merumuskan kebijakan pengelolaan lahan basah berkelanjutan.