MATRA, WEST SULAWESI : PT Letawa, a subsidiary of the oil palm company PT Astra Agro Lestari Tbk has been selected as one of the winners of AGC Awards 2011 for its mangrove conservation program

in North Mamuju, Matra regency, West Sulawesi province.

The AGC Awards consist of two categories, namely Conservation and Pollution Prevention Program and Occupational Health and Safety Program. PT Letawa won the first award for the category of Conservation and Pollution Prevention Program.

President Director of the oil palm company PT Letawa, Boan Sulu Simatupang, said in Mamuju on Tuesday that his company has planted a total of 66,000 trees along coastal areas in Mamuju. “We hope that the mangrove planting will maintain its biodiversity and strengthen the ecosystem of mangrove forest.

The program conducted by PT Letawa is called Astra Mangrove Conservation (AMC), which is aimed to replant mangrove trees along the coast of North Mamuju, West Sulawesi.

Matra regency’s forest and environment Agency Head Ahmad Subali said that the conservation program conducted by Astra Group should be followed by other companies outside of Astra Group. “It is particularly important as mangrove has now become an integral part of environmental program,” he said.

Boan Sulu noted that winning the conservation award had not been only resulted from the hard working and strong commitment from PT Letawa alone. It is also due to the support from the local environment agency.

Head of Public Relations PT Astra Agro Lestari Tbk, Tofan Mahdi said that the award was presented to PT Letawa on Aug.15, 2011 in the office of Astra International, in Sunter, Jakarta. PT Letawa, the subsidiary of PT Astra Agro Lestari Tbk, won the “Winner of AGC Awards 2011” from its holding company PT Astra International Tbk.

The awards were given to subsidiaries of Astra Group every year through a process of tight selection. According to Tofan, AMC is one of the ”Green Projects”, which were designed out of a concern over the worsening of environment. The mangrove plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of ecosystem and in preventing abrasion along the coast.

The mangrove planting program had been implemented during the period of 2006-2008 along the Tanjung Bakau coast and Cinokinya coast. But at that time it had not yet succeeded as all are washed away by sea waves. Then in 2010, the program was implemented again along five kilometers of Jengeng coast and along one kilometer of the Tanjung Bakau coast.

The areas are chosen for mangrove conservation because the areas are the worst in terms of environmental damages, which are mainly caused by fish farming along the coastal areas. (*)