Jamil, 63, stands at the edge of a brackish pond in Sugian village on Lombok, Indonesia, bucket in hand, scattering fish guts and chicken heads into the water. Moments later, the surface ripples as mud crabs emerge from their burrows—crabs that just a few years ago had nearly vanished from these waters. "In the morning, they’re more likely to stay in their holes," he says, smiling. Today, those crabs are not just wild catches but part of a thriving silvofishery—a community-led fusion of mangrove restoration and sustainable aquaculture that’s reviving both ecosystems and livelihoods. For a village in East Lombok, one of Indonesia’s most economically strained regions, this shift is nothing short of transformative. With 14,000 residents—1% of the district’s population—receiving permits to work overseas last year, families have long been fractured by the need to seek income abroad. But now, as mangroves regrow and crab populations rebound, people like Jamil are finding reasons to stay.
Sugian’s silvofishery model turns conservation into sustenance. Unlike destructive shrimp farming, which has driven up to 40% of Indonesia’s 3.3 million hectares of mangroves to degradation since the 1980s, this system works with the ecosystem. Mangrove roots stabilize the muddy habitat mud crabs need, while the crabs’ burrowing aerates the soil and cycles nutrients—mutualism in action. "If the habitat is good, the crabs will return — so cultivation is important, but the natural environment must also be restored," says Muslim, head of the West Nusa Tenggara fisheries department. His words echo across the archipelago, where aquaculture contributes $5.5 billion in exports annually, yet often at the cost of the very ecosystems that sustain it.
In Sugian, the results are tangible. Crabs once scarce are now reliably harvested, with farmers reporting higher yields and better prices for mature specimens. The practice has also reignited community stewardship: locals plant and protect mangroves not just for coastal defense, but as living infrastructure for food and income. A 2022 study in Brebes, Java, confirmed the link—newly restored mangroves supported significantly healthier mud crab populations. While silvofishery isn’t a fix for all aquaculture, for mud crabs, it’s proving to be a rare win-win.
As dusk settles over Sugian, Jamil watches the water churn with life. The crabs are feeding, the mangroves are growing, and for the first time in years, families are staying. This quiet revolution in the mudflats offers a blueprint: when people restore nature, nature restores them.