*2.1. Study Area*

Sembilang National Park (104◦14–104◦54E, 1◦53–2◦27S) with Berbak National Park (a Ramsar Site) to the north is part of the Greater Berbak-Sembilang Ecosystem on the Indonesian island of Sumatra [66]. The Sembilang National Park (Figure 2) location is in the west and is bounded by the Benue River and the provincial boundary with Jambi province in the north and the Lalan and Banyuasin rivers in the south [11]. The typical climate in Sembilang National Park are humid air to heavy rainfall from November to March and dry season during June-September [67]. The hydrology of the Sembilang National Park is characterized by the smooth transition of freshwater and brackish water habitats [66].

**Figure 2.** Location of the study area is in Sembilang National Park, Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Selected remotely sensed image from Landsat 7 ETM+ (source from USGS) and administrative boundaries of the study area (source from Indonesian Geospatial Agency/BIG), and taken photograph from [68–70].

Sembilang National Park is the largest mangrove area in the Indo-Malaya region and the only mangrove area that still has an intact natural transition into the nearby freshwater forest and peat swamp [66]. Mangrove species that live in this area are *Rhizophora* (*Rhizophora apiculata* and *Rhizophora mucronata*), *Nepenthes ampullaria* which is an indicator species on deep peat, *Brugierra (Bruguierra gymnorrhiza, Bruguierra parviflora, Bruguierra sexangula,* and *Bruguierra corniculatum* and *Aegiceras*), *Kandelia candel, Sonneratia (Sonneratia caseolaris, Sonneratia alba,* and *Sonneratia Ovata), Avicennia (Avicennia marina, Avicennia alba,* and *Avicennia ofificinalis), Ceriops (Ceriops decandra* and *Ceriops taga), Xylocarpus (Xylocarpus granatum)* and *Xylocarpus Excoecaria agallocha* [71].

The park is biologically rich sites with more than two hundred species of birds, one hundred and forty species of fish and more than fifty species of mammals [68]. The area is estimated to support 70% of the significant coastal fisheries of South Sumatra in terms of breeding, spawning, and nursery areas [67]. Many of these species are endangered, such as the endangered Sumatran Tiger (*Panthera tigris sumatrae*), and the endangered Indian Elephant (*Elephas maximus*), the Storm Stork (*Ciconia stormi*), and the Malayan Giant Turtle (*Orlitia borneensis*) [67]. More than 43% of mangrove species in Indonesia are also found here [67]. Around 0.5–1 million shorebirds use the area and during the winter and almost 80,000–100,000 migratory birds feed and rest here [68]. It supports more than 1% of the population of Milky Stork (*Mycteria cinerea*), Asian Dowitcher (*Limnodromus semipalmatus*), Spotted Greenshank (*Tringa guttifer*), Far Eastern Curlew (*Numenius madagascariensis*) and Lesser Adjutant (*Leptoptilos javanicus*) [67,68].

As an area affected by forest fire in 1997, various efforts have been made to rehabilitate mangrove forests in Sembilang Nasional Park (Figure 3) by involving Government and various stakeholders. Several related activities have been carried out [17]; (1) Integrated Swamp Development Project (ISDP) between Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Forest Fire Prevention Management Project/FFPMP in Northern Sembilang Nasional Park in 1997 to 2001; this project produce a document of descriptions, programs and suggestions to help planning, conservation, and control of resource use in buffer zones, (2) Forest Fire Prevention Management Project (FFPMP) by JICA in Sei Rambut Village in Northern Sembilang Nasional Park in 1997 to 2000, (3) Global Environment Facility (GEF) Project Berbak-Sembilang in 2000 to 2004; the purpose of this project are spatial planning, assessment, monitoring, and capacity building and environmental awareness; and (4) Climate Change, Forest and Peatlands in Indonesia project (CCFPI) in 2002 to 2005; this project consists of community based activities and policy development activities related to the protection and rehabilitation of swamp forests and peatlands in Indonesia.

**Figure 3.** Implementation of restoration program through natural regeneration assistance, enrichment planting, and seeding around Sembilang National Park [12,72,73].
