JAKARTA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian Disaster Management Agency will plant about 40,000 trees in catastrophe-prone areas to mitigate the risk of natural disasters, the agency's top official said on Monday.
The agency would pick up a tree species locally called Palaka which can grow fast and strong, the agency's Doni Monardo said.
The tall tree with strong stem and big diameter is expected to be able to withstand tsunami strikes, hold excessive waters and prevent landslides, according to him.
Monardo pointed out that the trees would be used as a natural bastion to lower risks of natural disasters, which have frequently hit the vast archipelagic nation.
They will be planted in places vulnerable to catastrophes, such as the southern part of main Java Island and the western coast of Sumatra Island, he said.
"The planting of the trees is part of efforts to mitigate tsunami," said Monardo.
The tree grows fast and it can grow up to 6 meters in one year, media reported.
"The one that I found in Ambon city (Maluku province's capital) has a diameter which can be surrounded by 30 people," he noted.
Indonesia, home to over 17,000 islands and 129 active volcanoes, has been frequently stricken by tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides, floods and volcanic eruptions.
Indonesia lies on a quake-prone zone in the "Pacific Ring of Fire." Catastrophes in the country have left thousands of people dead with massive infrastructure damages.
