Batik makers turn to mangroves amid eco dye demand

Natural shade of red: A mangrove batik worker drying a batik cloth in Klaces village in Cilacap, Central Java province. — Reuters

IN a quiet mangrove forest in central Indonesia, a man moves gingerly across vegetation distinguished by its big, wooden stilt roots, searching for fallen mangrove fruits that rest on leaves or float on the water.

Gathering a handful of what looks like string beans, the man, a batik craftsman, heads home to make natural dye from them.