Mangroves are an important ecosystem that provides valuable social, economic, and environmental services. Indonesia has placed mangroves on its national priority agenda in an important effort to sustainably manage this ecosystem and achieve national climate commitments. However, mangrove management is faced with complex challenges encompassing social, ecological, and economic issues. In order to achieve the government’s commitments and targets regarding mangrove restoration and conservation, an in-depth study on and critical review of mangrove management in Indonesia was conducted herein. This work aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the challenges and strategic recommendations for sustainable mangrove management in Indonesia. SWOT analysis was carried out to understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to mangrove management in Indonesia. To address these gaps, we reviewed the existing policies, current rehabilitation practices, environmental challenges, and research and technology implementations in the field. We found that strategies on mangrove ecosystem protection, such as improving the function and value of mangrove forests, integrating mangrove ecosystem management, strengthening political commitments and law enforcement, involving all stakeholders (especially coastal communities), and advancing research and innovations, are crucial for sustainable mangrove management and to support the national blue carbon agenda.

Abstract. Susilowati A, Rangkuti AB, Rachmat HH, Iswanto AH, Harahap MM, Elfiati D, Slamet B, Ginting IM. 2021. Maintaining tree biodiversity in urban communities on the university campus. Biodiversitas 22: 2839-2847. Many universities worldwide have green spaces (GS) as an integral part of their campuses because of significant benefits for ecological function and urban communities. University of Sumatera Utara (USU) campus is located in urban area of Medan city, Indonesia, with a total area of 120 hectares. The campus offers various outdoor spaces for resting, sports, playgrounds and other psychological benefits. The campus also offers vital benefits for its surrounding environment, such as improving air quality and ensuring pleasant climatic conditions and biodiversity. One of the important functions of USU GS is to become an area for preserving tree diversity in urban communities, which in busy urban communities is sometimes a little overlooked. This research aimed to identify the species diversity, abundance, utilization, and conservation status of trees across 120 hectares of USU Campus using the field inventory method. Results revealed a total of 7333 individual trees of 121 species from 37 families. The most common tree species is Swietenia macrophylla (18.37%), while the dominant families are Fabaceae. Margalef index and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index reaching 13.48 (good) and 3.41 (high). Based on the utilization status, 55.43% of the tree species were wood producers, 45.34% were pollutant absorbers, while the lowest percentage functioned as latex producers (0.12%). About 70 species (57.85%) were native species, while 51 species (42.15%) were exotic. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 50 species (41.33% %) were listed as the least concern status, 8 species (6.61%) with a vulnerable status, 4 species (3.30%) with a near-threatened status and 2 species (1.66%) with and endangered status. The result from this study also showed that GS at USU not only performed its main function as a shade or an oxygen producer (environment services) but also maintained the tree biodiversity and a means of ex-situ conservation for many trees species. Trees threatened by anthropogenic activities, particularly tree felling for infrastructural developments were still found in the campus area. Therefore, sustainable conservation efforts should be geared towards ensuring the continued existence of the trees to maintain their ecological functions

Tropical forests are among the most diverse ecosystems in the world, completed by huge biodiversity. An expansion in natural resource extraction through open-pit mining activities leads to increasing land and tropical forest degradation. Proper science-based practices are needed as an effort to reclaim their function. This paper summarizes the existing practice of coal mining, covering the regulatory aspects and their reclamation obligations, the practices of coal mining from various sites with different land characteristics, and the reclamation efforts of the post-mining landscapes in Indonesia. The regulations issued accommodate the difference between mining land inside the forest area and outside the forest area, especially in the aspect of the permit authority and in evaluating the success rate of reclamation. In coal-mining practices, this paper describes starting from land clearing activities and followed by storing soil layers and overburden materials. In this step, proper handling of potentially acid-forming materials is crucial to prevent acid mine drainage. At the reclamation stage, this paper sequentially presents research results and the field applications in rearranging the overburden and soil materials, controlling acid mine drainage and erosion, and managing the drainage system, settling ponds, and pit lakes. Many efforts to reclaim post-coal-mining lands and their success rate have been reported and highlighted. Several success stories describe that post-coal-mining lands can be returned to forests that provide ecosystem services and goods. A set of science-based best management practices for post-coal-mine reforestation is needed to develop to promote the success of forest reclamation and restoration in post-coal-mining lands through the planting of high-value hardwood trees, increasing trees’ survival rates and growth, and accelerating the establishment of forest habitat through the application of proper tree planting technique. The monitoring and evaluation aspect is also crucial, as corrective action may be taken considering the different success rates for different site characteristics.

The anatomical characteristics of the stem of belangke bamboo (Gigantochloa pruriens), which is native in North Sumatra, Indonesia, were examined to attain valuable information for identification and effective utilization. The number and type of vessel bundles and the fiber and metaxylem dimensions in the longitudinal (bottom, middle, and top) and radial (outer, central, and inner) directions of the bamboo culm were investigated by optical microscopy. The vascular bundles were distributed unevenly and arranged alternately, as shown by cross-sectional images of the culms. The proportion of vascular bundles in the culm decreased from the outer layer to the inner layer and tended to increase from the bottom to the top. Most vascular bundles were classified as type IV at the bottom and as type III in the middle and top parts. Fiber length and cell wall thickness tended to increase from the bottom to the top and from the inner layer to the outer layer. Metaxylem length and diameter increased from the outer layer to the inner layer and from the bottom towards the top of the stem. It was revealed that the anatomical characteristics of the belangke bamboo varied significantly in the vertical and radial directions.

Pinus merkusii Jungh et de Vriese, known as Tusam or Sumatran pine, is the only pine that grows naturally in the south of the Equator with its natural distribution found in Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The Sumatran pine is an economically and ecologically important species in Indonesia that covers three native strains, Aceh, Kerinci, and Tapanuli. The resin tapping of the pine has been practiced for hundreds of years while its timber has long been commercially used for various purposes. Although the pine is known as highland species, its adaptability on a wide spectrum environment makes it suitable for various restoration and rehabilitation purposes both in lowland and highland sites. Its high commercial values have also made the species be massively planted in pine plantations outside their natural distribution in Sumatera (i.e., in Java and Sulawesi island). This paper will review the current condition of Sumatran pine and its potential as a restoration and rehabilitation species and delivering its natural and artificial distribution map in Indonesia. In addition, the paper will also show the genetic variability of the species, determine the current innovative practices in silvicultural aspect both at nursery and plantation scales, describe tree improvement program, including its role in agroforestry practices, pine product both timber and non-timber, and its potential resources in relation with climate change mitigation management.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, since December 2019, is a major health problem and concern worldwide. The pandemic has impacted various fields, from the social to the development of health science and technology. The virus has been mutating and thus producing several new variants, rushing research in the field of molecular biology to develop rapidly to overcome the problems that occur. Vaccine clinical studies are developing promptly with the aim of obtaining vaccines that are effective in suppressing the spread of the virus; however, the development of viral mutations raises concerns about the decreasing effectiveness of the resulting vaccine, which also results in the need for more in-depth studies. There have been 330 vaccines developed, including 136 clinical developments and 194 pre-clinical developments. The SARS-CoV-2 variant continues to evolve today, and it poses a challenge in testing the effectiveness of existing vaccines. This is a narrative review describing the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, development of vaccine platforms, identification of concerning mutations and virus variants in various countries of the world, and real-world monitoring of post-vaccination effectiveness and surveillance.

Rachmat HH, Subiakto A, Wijaya K, Susilowati A. 2018. Alarming call from Mursala Island, North Sumatra, Indonesia: The urgent task for conserving the previously reported extinct of Dipterocarpus cinereus. Biodiversitas 19: 399-405. IUCN Red List (1998) declared that the Mursalan endemic Dipterocarpus cinereus was extinct in the wild, but brief exploration conducted in the first quarter of 2013 found that there were few numbers of D. cinereus still growing in the island. The objectives of this research were: to describe the current condition of the forest in Mursala island; and to determine the vegetation composition and association between D. cinereus and other major tree species in site. Identifying forest condition and the potential value of the non-timber product was done descriptively through direct observation and interview with local inhabitants. The vegetation analysis was carried out by a purposive stratified technique in three lines each consisting of 4-8 plots (quadrats). The size of each sampling plot was 1,000 m2 (r= 17.8 m) with the total of 20 plots. The result showed that D. cinereus is still growing in the middle part until the top of the ridges. Importance Value Index (IVI) for the top five species were 32.37, 39.47, 17.43, 15.18 and 11.04 respectively for D. cinereus, Shorea acuminata, Arenga pinnata, Shorea falcifera and Hopea sangal. Among those five dominant species, only D. cinereus with S. falcifera and D. cinereus with A. pinnata had a significant association. Our study also determined that calling for species conservation is alarming rate and those not only needed for D. cinereus alone but island ecosystem as a whole.

Susilowati A, Rachmat HH, Elfiati D, Hasibuan MH. 2019. The composition and diversity of plant species in pasak bumi’s (Eurycoma longifolia) habitat in Batang Lubu Sutam forest, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 413-418. Pasak bumi (Eurycoma longifolia Jack) is one of the most popular medicinal plants in Indonesia. Currently, E. longifolia is being over-exploited due to its potential and popularity as herbal medicine and its high value in the market. Therefore, the study on the population structure of the species and habitat characterization is required to ensure successfulness of conservation of this species. The study was carried out in lowland forest, located in Limited Production Forest within the Register Number 40, situated administratively in Papaso Village, Sub-District of Batang Lubu Sutam-Padang Lawas, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Batang Lubu Sutam forest is known as a source of pasak bumi material in North Sumatra. Every year tons of pasak bumi are collected from this forest and exported to Malaysia and surrounding countries. Due to illegal harvesting for its roots, pasak bumi has been seriously depleted in some areas in Batang Lubu Sutam forest. Therefore, current data on its population are needed for conservation effort of Batang Lubu Sutam's pasak bumi. The objectives of this study were to assess the structure of forest where pasak bumi grows and to determine the correct management for sustainability the future stocks. Vegetation analysis was carried out purposively in four transect belts, each consisting of five quadrats or plots. The results showed that the Importance Value Index of pasak bumi at seedling, sapling, pole and tree stages was 21.26%, 9.147%, 0, and 0 respectively. The Shannon Diversity Index (H) ranged between 3.050 and 3.220 and was inside its common value distribution. The evenness index was high, more than 0.85, at all stages of plant growth. The disappearance of pasak bumi at pole and tree stages indicates threatening condition for the sustainability of pasak bumi in the study sites because of excessive harvesting.