Environmental Care Action by Students: HIMAIKA Unpad Does 300 of Mangrove Plantation in Mundupesisir Village

Sustainable living is one of the aims of the moment. One of the attempts to accomplish this is by preserving the marine ecosystem.

HIMAIKA Unpad, a student association from the Marine Science Study Program, Faculty of Fishery and Marine Science Universitas Padjadjaran, organized a community service activity that targeted the issue of preserving the marine environment. This activity was undertaken in Mundupesisir Village, Mundu District, Cirebon Regency, on Saturday (8/3/2024) and Sunday (8/4).

This activity gained support from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) and other Unpad faculties.

As the head of HIMAIKA Unpad, Agam Rachmat, said, mangrove area conservation is the event’s primary goal due to the village’s high mangrove potential.

“Mundupesisir Village is one of the villages that its mangrove area is potential to be optimized in as a tourist area and attract many visitors. Thus, HIMAIKA Unpad is here to help grow the area,” he said.

This community service is programmed by the Community Service Department HIMAIKA Unpad. The task of this department is to design and implement various forms of community service activities. This is one way that HIMAIKA is able to show a real contribution to the public through social activities.

“I expect this activity to be carried out in a continuous annual basis so that Mundupesisir Village as a HIMAIKA Assisted Village can preserve its environment and evolve to be a developing marine tourism village,” said the Head of the Community Service Department of HIMAIKA Unpad, Dhan Dhan.

The service activities consist of various activities, including a program named “HIMAIKA Teaching” on the first day. The theme raised in this program is “Growing Together with the Sea: Environmental Education and Creativity for Coastal Children”. In this program, HIMAIKA Unpad gives educational lessons to SDN 3 Mundupesisir students about the importance of maintaining cleanliness, as well as fostering environmental awareness among children on the coast so that they always maintain the sustainability of their environment.

On the second day, the “Rangkul Desa” mangrove planting program was held, entitled “Mangrove Selamatkan Masa Depan” (“Mangroves Save the Future”). This activity aims to support the potential of the mangrove forest owned by Mundupesisir Village with substantial actions to plant 300 mangrove seedlings. Through this program, it is hoped that the potential can be developed more optimally while providing ecological benefits as a natural fortress for the local community.

With this service activity, HIMAIKA FPIK Unpad hopes to contribute significantly to environmental sustainability as well as empowering people living on the coast. On the other hand, they also hope that this activity will become a basis for the community to be more aware and responsible towards their environment.
Writer: Maria Imanuella Dewi Sekartaji
Translator: Firda Khoirunnisa