BADUNG ~ Forestry Minister MS Ka’ban has asked officials to reconsider an extension plan of Ngurah Rai International Airport in a bid to preserve the surrounding mangrove ecosystem.

Ka’ban said that Bali should learn from the tsunami disaster in Aceh, as mangroves act as a barrier protecting the land from a tsunami as well as preventing soil erosion.

Development of the airport’s runway, he said this week, should proceed but not at the expense of sacrificing the mangrove forest.

“It would be best if there is technology that would allow airport development without destroying the mangrove.

“The regulators should allow development to begin only when substitute land is available for the mangrove forest,” he said.