WOODCHUCK USA's latest planting site is in Biak, Indonesia. Through our partnerships, we are working with the local villagers on Biak Island to restore, replant, and protect this unique and vital forest system.
Indonesia is one of the most biodiverse regions on earth and home to 12% of the world’s mammals, 16% of the world’s reptiles and amphibians, 17% of the world’s birds and 25% of the global fish populations. Endangered species include the Sumatran Tiger, Orangutan’s, the Javan Rhinoceros and Sumatran Elephants.
The people of Indonesia rely heavily on the biodiversity of their environment for subsistence needs. Traditional fishermen rely on the wetland ecosystems, including mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass for their livelihood. In the last 3 decades, Indonesia has lost over 40% of its mangrove forests, affecting not only the environment and the species that rely on them but also the communities that depend on this ecosystem for survival.
Mangroves are critical to coastal health, stabilizing shorelines with their dense root systems that reduce erosion and buffer communities from storm surge and flooding. They also filter pollutants, trap sediment, and create rich nursery habitats
Mangrove forests are one of the most effective natural systems for carbon sequestration. As mangrove trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their trunks, roots, and especially in the deep, waterlogged soils beneath them.
Mangroves support biodiversity by creating complex root systems that provide shelter, breeding grounds, and nursery habitat for fish, crustaceans, birds, and countless marine species. Their unique transition zone between land and sea sustains a wide range of organisms, forming one of the most biologically productive and diverse ecosystems on the planet.
