GREEN PROJECT, Planting Casuarina equisetifolia L.

Planting Casuarina equisetifolia L.

Hey friends, I would like to inform you about how important of  coastal area which is the border areas between marine ecosystems and terrestrial ecosystems. As you know,  in southern coast java island has become abrasion territory. Year by year the ecosystem of Indonesia southern coastwise is becoming worse because the mainly problem  is no vegetation along the beach. It is influenced by sandy beach that difficult  t o form habitat. Because  the texture is sandy and just has small surface area the result is hardly to save the water. Soil in coastline is dominated by 95 % of sand fraction. Besides that it just has a little organic matters, containing dust , clay, and very low nutrient. It makes that area tends to quickly dry. Temperature and wind speed also influencing the ecosystem because sand soil in high temperature will cause water evaporate rapidly  and in low temperature will make soil cold. It also happened with high wind speed will pull out the root and break down the agricultural crops. Research notes the wind speed in southern coastwise is very high, around 50  kilometers per hour. It is not over yet, the another problem is heat air from wind sea and the air containing salt which brought by wind sea causing the soil pH decreased. From that problems, the plants grow hardly in sand soil especially for the agricultural crops. Because of that the coastal communities can’t utilize that ground for agriculture and it isn’t suitable as a medium for plant. In order to make that area become coastal ecosystem and capable to fill society needs the first we have to do is recognize the plant which capable of adapted against sandy soil. These are several of the plant : Casuarina equisetifolia L., Spinifex, Canavalia, Euphorbia atato, Vigna, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Cocos nucifera, Glereside and cashew nuts. Remember this is just applicable for Java southern coasline and tropical area along the equator line. But, I think it is not really different with the countries that have 4 seasons. Just my prediction.

          In November, 2008 almost a year ago I and my friends from Faculty of Forestry, decided to plant Casuarina equisetifolia L (Cemara Udang) along at Kebumen beach, the Middle of Java Island, Indonesia. We decided to do this because along  the beach that we looked just only sand and we thought by planting Casuarina equisetifolia L will be able to help the communities around the beach because it holds the salt which about to go to the mainland so the soil and sand that lie behind this plant are suitable to be developed as agricultural sandy land. Not only that if this project successful it will also form coastal ecosystem. Casuarina equisetifolia L has sturdy trunk and many of branch so this plant capable of withstand  waves and wind. When this plant is 5 or 6 years, it is enough become tsumani barrier. The high of Casuarina equisetifolia L could more than 15 meters. The capacity of this plant is classified good because even just get water at low stock, it can still be life.

 

          The first day that we had to do after arrived there is implant the ACIR. ACIR is a bamboo stick which used as seedling presence bookmark. It is necessary because if the plant die, we must replant so the planting pattern doesn’t broken. Remember, the minimum distance between ACIR and waterfront is 50 meters (it is very important). Take a look picture below 

 We had to cross the river in order to plant Cemara Udang as front line barriers

There is a river nearby the sea. The community is using that river as fishpond. We thought that activity isn’t disturbing the plants that we planted. After that, on the second day we planted it at 7 A.M. until 10 A.M. Why did we have to plant them at that period of time ? The reason is the plant roots were not strong enought in hot temperature because it is not adapted yet. Then we planted them according to the ACIR. Don’t forget, about the fertilizer. We gave it when we planted them. 

We hope with this kind of action will make the communities along the beach are interested because there are big benefit from the plants.