Jakarta (Antara) – The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has outlined a goal of creating 20 million hectares of water conservation area in 2020.

"Through creation of 20 million hectares of water conservation area, Indonesia will positively contribute to the world in terms of climate change and ensure livelihood for 60 percent of the coastal community," Suseno, the ministry's expert staff for public affairs and inter-institutional relations, remarked on Friday night.

The target was indicative of Indonesia's leadership in global marine affairs since it is blessed with plentiful marine resources in comparison with other nations, he stated.

He underscored the significance of the water conservation area preserving the marine ecosystem, mitigating the impacts of climate change, and involving members of the coastal community in managing that area.

Experts and practitioners are on the same page that a water conservation area is one of the best solutions to curtailing threats to the coastal ecosystem and protecting important habitats of fish to help them thrive and find food and thereby benefiting the nearby residents, he revealed.

The water conservation area will guard marine resources and proffer economic benefits to the local people and government through the development of marine tourism, among others, he stated.

"The three messages for all is that we are allowed to develop the economy for the sea but the most important point is which of them can be adopted without harming the environment," he noted without elaborating.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1278654/govt-to-create-20-million-hectare-water-conservation-area