Jakarta (ANTARA) – Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni reaffirmed Indonesia’s strategic role in preserving mangrove ecosystems and highlighted its World Mangrove Center initiative, expected to drive stronger international collaboration on sustainability.Speaking at the 21st Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests in New York, the United States, on Monday (May 11), he emphasized that the government is determined to safeguard mangroves nationwide, which account for 23 percent of the world’s total.“As Indonesia houses nearly one-third of the world’s mangrove fields, we aim to ensure these ecosystems become a primary pillar of climate change mitigation and coastal protection,” Antoni noted in a statement cited in Jakarta on Tuesday.He then highlighted the World Mangrove Center as Indonesia’s initiative to invite like-minded parties worldwide to align steps toward stronger global partnerships, intensified research and innovation programs, and concrete, sustainable action in mangrove protection and restoration.”Indonesia welcomes collaboration through the World Mangrove Center to promote sustainable mangrove management at the global level,” the minister said.The Ministry of Forestry holds authority and responsibility over about 80 percent of Indonesia’s mangrove ecosystem, he added.On that note, Antoni stressed that the government is committed to taking the lead in global initiatives to fully harness the potential of mangroves in advancing climate action, bolstering coastal resilience, and conserving biodiversity.Dyah Murtiningsih, the ministry’s director general of watershed management and forest rehabilitation, explained that Indonesia initiated the World Mangrove Center with the aim of building a center of excellence capable of facilitating knowledge transfer, research, and international funding.She further elaborated that the initiative focuses on identifying effective ways to protect and restore mangroves through research at field observatory stations across the country.“This endeavor is expected to help accelerate the global mangrove restoration drive and deliver tangible benefits to people and coastal ecosystems worldwide,” the official said.