A Strategy for preventing coastal degradation due to mangrove logging on the coast of Bintan Island, Indonesia to prevent shallowing of the strait by applying international principles: The common heritage of mankind

¹ Professor of Law, Law Faculty, Andalas University, Padang, 25126, Indonesia
² Dean of Law Faculty, Andalas University, Padang, Padang, 25126, Indonesia
³ Lecturer of Law, Faculty of Social and Political Science, Raja Ali Haji Maritime University, Tanjungpinang, 29124, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: zldaulay@law.unand.ac.id

Abstract

Mangroves are important as a green belt for coastal areas. Mangrove logging is causing coastal degradation due to logging mangroves for land clearing. This study employs a qualitative and empirical legal method to analyze the issues that need addressing in this study on law enforcement in preventing coastal degradation caused by mangrove cutting in coastal Bintan, Indonesia, to prevent siltation of waters and straits through the application of the principle of the common heritage of mankind, so that marine and coastal sustainability can be realised. From the national data, the distribution of mangrove forests in Riau Islands Province is 68,417 ha, 37.000 hectares have been damaged, and at least 37 thousand ha have been destroyed. In addition, mangrove degradation, including logging, leads to problems of sea silt, which can negatively impact upstream agriculture and estuarine agriculture. The principle of shared heritage of mankid must be implemented in the mangrove region. Therefore, coastal mangrove must be conserved in order to prevent destruction and the shallowing of the sea or strait.