With stories and puppets, environmentalist battles to save Indonesia's mangroves

An aerial picture shows villager walks along a paddy fields affected by abrasion in Juntinyuat, Indramayu regency, West Java province, Indonesia, March 13, 2021. Picture taken with a drone, March 13, 2021. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

INDRAMAYU, Indonesia (Reuters) - Caked in mud up to their knees, a small group of Indonesian youngsters plant mangrove saplings along a stretch of exposed coastline next to the Java Sea under the watchful eye of local environmentalist Samsudin.

A former school teacher, Samsudin has now dedicated his life to conservation and uses puppetry and storytelling to spread his message to the young about the importance of protecting mangroves in an area suffering massive coastal erosion.