Mangrove Feedstock Potentials for Ruminant

Abstract

Mangrove forests play an important role in maintaining the health and productivity of coastal ecosystems, as well as providing valuable services such as sequestering atmospheric carbon (blue carbon storage), shoreline protection, protection from natural disasters (floods, storms, tsunamis, and coastal erosion), buffering salinity changes, food supply, provision of feed resources, fuel, building materials, protection of diversity including habitat for local flora and fauna. Mangrove forests provide livelihood opportunities for coastal communities through aquaculture, livestock feed, and ecotourism. The study aims to determine the potential and species of mangroves that can be utilized as a source of ruminant feed in East Kalimantan province by using an exploratory approach through literature studies and secondary data from Statistics Indonesia. The data was then identified and analyzed through qualitative description. The abundance of existing mangroves needs to be optimally utilized and explored as a source of local feed. Optimization of feedstock can be a strategy for realizing sustainability, feasibility, and production efficiency so that the utilization of local feedstocks can reduce feed costs and increase production efficiency which will provide high benefits for farmers. Ruminant rearing patterns with intensive systems and feed fulfillment with cut and carry techniques can be a solution to utilize mangrove biomass as an alternative feedstock. Ruminant development in mangrove forest areas is expected to be realized with the support of mangrove leaf-based livestock feed industrialization.