Bandar Lampung, March 13, 2022 – IPC Terminal Petikemas/IPC TPK conducted another coral reef conservation action in the underwater environment of Pahawang Island, Lampung Province. This activity is a routine agenda carried out annually in the framework of implementing IPC TPK’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) aspects and in accordance with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) No. 8 on Marine Ecosystems.
“Prioritizing ESG aspects, IPC TPK focuses on 6 SDGs agendas including health, energy, employment, climate change, marine ecosystems, and peace. These six focus agendas are adopted into 3 priority CSR programs covering Education, Environment, and the Development of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSMEs). In the environmental sector, IPC TPK has carried out various actions including planting trees in the terminal area, coral reefs, and mangroves, carbon emission reduction, digitalization of port services, and fuel savings,” said Wahyu Hardiyanto, CEO of IPC Terminal Petikemas.
Coral reefs are one of the underwater biodiversity that has many benefits, including providing a habitat, food, and reproduction for various marine organisms. On the other hand, coral reefs are also the underwater “primadonna” for both local and international tourists.
The attraction of coral reefs also affects the number of tourists coming to South Lampung. According to Lamsel Tourism, the number of tourists who came in 2021 until November increased by 17.3% from 2020. Until November 2021, the number of visitors was 277,081, while in 2020 there were 236,173 visitors. This data shows that tourism in South Lampung regency has increased along with the economic recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
IPC TPK continues to encourage environmental care actions such as coral reef planting, which has been carried out for the past 5 years since 2017 to the present by collaborating with the Lampung Underwater Community (LUC), a marine ecosystem preservation community. The involvement of the community is important because they have knowledge in their field, understand the current conditions in the field, and have special skills to carry out coral reef planting on the seafloor. A total of 240 coral seedlings were planted on 30 planting media shelves with a total planting area of 100 m2 in the waters of Pahawang Island.
“As a business organization that relies on the potential of the ocean, IPC TPK continues to strive to create a positive impact by providing more benefits to the ocean through coral reef conservation. Hopefully, with this step, it can provide sustainable benefits, encourage tourism potential, and increase the economy, especially in the Covid-19 pandemic recovery period,” concluded Wahyu.