For the people living along the coast of Simau Village, Galela District, North Halmahera, the shoreline is not merely a boundary between land and sea. It is a living space, a place to fish, a place where mangroves grow, and a place where the Maluku scrubfowl, known locally as salabia or mamua, comes to lay its eggs in the sand.
As part of Sabua Foundation’s work for island communities, in 2021 we carried out a program to plant 25,000 mangrove trees in Simau Village. The program was directed toward two interconnected goals, namely supporting the sustainability of the coastal ecosystem while also protecting the living space of communities that depend on the sea for their livelihoods.
Mangroves do not work alone. Their roots hold back erosion, provide spawning grounds for fish, and absorb large amounts of carbon. Their benefits also reach beyond the boundaries of a single village. The impact of the planting in Simau is felt by residents of Limau and Toweka villages as well, with roughly 5,000 people across these three villages benefiting from it.
The Simau coast holds a special significance. Its beaches serve as a nesting ground for the Maluku scrubfowl (Eulipoa wallacei), an endemic bird that buries its eggs deep in the sand. Protecting the mangroves and protecting this nesting habitat are two sides of the same conservation work, and both depend on the involvement of local communities.
The mangrove forest of Simau, stretching wide and still very much untouched, holds great potential, from its tidal channels and small lakes to its captivating biodiversity. This is what shapes our conviction that coastal conservation is strongest when the environment, culture, and the economic life of communities are nurtured together rather than set against one another. Scrubfowl eggs have long been a source of food and livelihood for residents, and so conservation is not aimed at prohibition, but at ensuring that both the species and the community are able to endure.
Planting mangroves in Simau is one step in a much longer journey. We continue to steward the conservation of the scrubfowl in this village as an ongoing program, while encouraging the natural potential of the Galela coast to be recognized, cared for, and one day to bring fair economic benefit to the local people.