The Ministry of Public Works and People's Housing (PUPR) revealed that four new cities prioritized by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo could serve as the main driver of Indonesia's economic growth Three of these cities are located outside of Java as the burden on the island has become too heavy and is no longer feasible to be the engine of growth.  Maja is situated a mere 76 km outside Jakarta on Java Island Jokowi had designated the development of these four new cities as priority projects based on Presidential Regulation 52/2023 on the Government Work Plan for 2024 which is also included in the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2019-2024 "I think the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) should direct investments there These new cities are crucial because Java no longer has room for growth It needs to be moved outside Java," Endra said during an interview at the Gelora Bung Karno complex the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reports that Java Island contributes to 57.3 percent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) and Maluku and Papua collectively contribute 2.6 percent Despite being designated as priority projects the development of these new cities has faced delays Endra admitted that the project has encountered setbacks but emphasized the need for the government to continue with the project but I think we need to continue with it," he said adding that some of them can be built after 2024 Endra disclosed the fate and challenges faced by the development of the four new cities Maja is designed to become a new growth center and a satellite city for Jakarta "We want to develop Maja as a new public city There is already a train there," he explained Endra said that the development of Sofifi as a new city must continue namely the reluctance of the local community to move from Ternate to Sofifi The residents perceive that the infrastructure and resources in Ternate are more complete and easily accessible than those in Sofifi despite the short distance between the two "Even though the distance from Ternate to Sofifi is near it turns out it's not easy to relocate residents there must be special intervention so that Sofifi can develop further a new city needs special treatment from the government," said Endra Sofifi is the capital city of the North Maluku province in Indonesia This coastal city is located on Halmahera Island in the eastern part of Indonesia Endra said that the capital city of North Kalimantan also has the potential to become a new growth center for Indonesia The government will focus more on developing local infrastructure and economic activities as we can see in Pekanbaru (in Kalimantan) Balikpapan can grow because there is an economic base," he said Most of Indonesia's coal reserve is located on Kalimantan Island but Tanjung Selor does not have any reserve Endra emphasized a similar sentiment for the development of Sorong Every place has its advantages and uniqueness," he concluded Sorong is located near the Raja Ampat Islands known for its stunning marine biodiversity and coral reefs Sorong has witnessed infrastructure development to support its growing economic activities Indonesia — At the inauguration of the Guraping Mangrove Tourism Forest last month in Sofifi a sleepy coastal town and capital of one of Indonesia’s remotest provinces North Maluku Governor Abdul Gani Kasuba took a playful jab at the nation’s president “Pak Jokowi was surprised that the province of North Maluku would dare to move its capital to a village in the middle of the forest,” the governor said referring to President Joko Widodo by his nickname a province of around 1 million people in eastern Indonesia moved its capital from the tiny volcanic island of Ternate to Sofifi While Sofifi’s population of 18,000 is only around a tenth the size of Ternate’s it sits on the vastly larger island of Halmahera Some local officials have said they want Sofifi to become a “metropolitan city” — a vision the president scorned during a 2015 visit to the town “Don’t allow this city to become metropolitan it will only become like Jakarta,” Widodo said at a dialogue event referring to the nation’s congested capital should be developed based on their “unique heritage,” not foreign models But while Widodo’s separate, signature plan to move Indonesia’s capital from Jakarta to a location on the island of Borneo is backed by tens of billions of dollars planners in North Maluku have far fewer resources to work with Sofifi is turning to one of its natural assets: its mangroves Hence the grand opening of the Guraping forest which officials hope will draw tourists to the town and help it develop into something greater than an administrative hub As the only trees capable of growing in the salty waters of intertidal coastal zones, mangroves are incredibly efficient carbon sinks and highly effective at protecting coastlines from damage caused by extreme weather home to about 23% of the world’s mangroves Read also: From Flores to Papua: Meet 10 of Indonesia’s mangrove guardians The Guraping forest is located right by the governor’s offices at the top of Sofifi’s Gosale Hill a spot that offers impressive views of both the mangroves and the sea While the sights are scenic, they also illustrate Sofifi’s lack of infrastructure development. In the 11 years that Sofifi has officially been the provincial capital, a lack of planning and budget resources has prevented it from seeing much growth beyond a few government facilities In July, Indonesia’s chief investment minister, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, said the central government was investing in Sofifi’s development by making it a major component of the nation’s 2020-2024 Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) with plans to build supporting infrastructure such as office buildings the mangrove tourism zone features panoramic views of the lush The tourism zone’s 370 hectares (910 acres) encompass abandoned residential areas A narrow strip of the forest extends out and around the edge of the coast forming a picturesque lagoon that resembles a lake A bridge into the tourist area cuts across the mouth of the lagoon Research conducted in 2016 by two environmental scientists — Abdul Muthalib Angkotasan a lecturer of marine science at Khairun Ternate University a lecturer of forestry at Pattimura University in Ambon — found that the mangrove forests in Guraping’s waters were well developed for ecotourism Their biodiversity inventory identified 10 different species of mangroves in the forest and six plant species symbiotically linked to the mangroves They found the dominant type of mangrove species in the forest to be Rhizopora apiculata and Rhizopora mucronata The dense network of roots that mangrove trees use to stubbornly stay in place with the rise and fall of the tide is what makes them so important to the integrity of coastal lands mangroves prevent soil erosion and blunt the impact of strong winds and tall waves The researchers also found a number of species living within the watery forest The Halmahera Wildlife Photography Community (HWP) of North Maluku helped catalog the mangrove’s many birds and found they came from numerous regions Some they saw even came from the Northern Hemisphere such as the Eurasian whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) and the greater crested tern (Thalasseus bergii) demonstrating that the mangrove forest is a stopover habitat for many migratory birds as well as bird species endemic to North Maluku The head of the North Maluku provincial forestry department said construction of tourism facilities and infrastructure for the Guraping Mangrove Tourism Forest began in 2015 Current projects include building a 400-meter (1,300-foot) footbridge Syukur said the inauguration of the mangrove tourism zone took place on Oct 18 to coincide with a national Quran recital competition that was taking place in Sofifi at the same time “It is hoped that the mangrove forest can be a place of recreation for groups and officials to unwind down after competing,” Syukur said “Also for other people who want to travel while learning because the main concepts behind the [tourist area] are conservation This story was reported by Mongabay’s Indonesia team in an article published here on our Indonesian site on Oct FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa as protected areas become battlegrounds over history and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins and trying to forge a path forward […]