Aroma tanah basah menyapa pagi di tepian Sungai Kahayan ketika tumpukan Buletin Sistem Hutan (SHK) tiba di beberapa titik desa. Buletin yang didistribusikan sejak akhir November hingga 2 Desember 2025 ini bukan hanya sekadar bahan bacaan; ia menjelma menjadi percakapan hangat di warung kopi, ruang kelas, hingga kantor desa. Kehadirannya menegaskan bahwa cerita-cerita tentang pemulihan gambut, kegiatan masyarakat, dan upaya menjaga hutan kini berada langsung di tangan mereka yang paling dekat dengan perubahan itu.
Di Desa Mantaren I, buletin tersebut terasa seperti kabar dari sahabat lama. Warga yang selama ini terlibat dalam kegiatan pemulihan gambut menemukan bahwa pekerjaan yang mereka lakukan ternyata terhubung dengan proses yang lebih besar di desa lain. “Selama ini kami hanya tahu bagian yang kami kerjakan di lapangan. Setelah baca buletin, ternyata banyak cerita lain yang saling terhubung. Kami jadi merasa bagian dari sesuatu yang besar,” ujar Kenong, Ketua Handel Sei Sala yang aktif dalam pembangunan sekat kanal.
Generasi muda pelajar ke SMKN 1 Kahayan Hilir menerima Buletin Sistem Hutan dari tim KPSHK, November/11/2025. Sumber foto: KPSHK.
Buletin SHK kemudian melangkah lebih jauh hingga masuk ke SMKN 1 Kahayan Hilir, di mana beberapa siswa menjadikannya sumber belajar tambahan. Kisah-kisah dalam buletin mulai dari patroli, pemetaan lahan, hingga penguatan lembaga desa menjadi contoh nyata aplikasi ilmu lingkungan yang mereka pelajari di kelas. “Saya baru paham kalau di daerah kita sendiri ada program selengkap ini. Buletin ini membuka pikiran saya tentang kerja-kerja lingkungan,” tutur Diana, siswi kelas XI yang pernah mengikuti lomba kahanjak darung bawan.
Sementara itu, di Desa Gohong, Pemerintah Desa melihat buletin sebagai dokumen penting untuk penyusunan agenda kerja. Informasi yang terangkum di dalamnya memberi gambaran lintas lokasi mengenai kegiatan masyarakat dan kemajuan pemulihan gambut. “Informasi seperti ini penting untuk pemerintah desa. Kami bisa melihat perkembangan kegiatan dari berbagai titik lokasi, dan itu membantu kami mengambil keputusan,” jelas Vinni Pebrianti, Sekretaris Desa Gohong.
Semangat distribusi buletin ini juga dipertegas oleh Aftrinal S. Lubis, Program Manager Inisiatif Kahayan Hilir. “Lebih banyak masyarakat luas yang mengetahui dan merasakan manfaat dari intervensi project Inisiatif Kahayan Hilir kita,” ujarnya, menegaskan bahwa transparansi informasi adalah bagian dari penguatan kepercayaan publik.
Dari luar, mungkin buletin ini tampak sederhana. Namun bagi Tim Media KPSHK, ia menyimpan makna yang jauh lebih dalam. “Buletin ini bukan hanya laporan kegiatan, tapi cara kami merekam perjalanan bersama masyarakat,” ungkap mereka.
Dari Mantaren I, ruang kelas di Pulang Pisau, hingga Gohong, Buletin SHK telah menjadi penghubung cerita mengalirkan informasi, membangun pemahaman, dan mengikat kembali semangat menjaga hutan gambut yang menjadi napas kehidupan masyarakat. Inisiatif Kahayan Hilir benar-benar berada di tangan mereka: warga, pelajar, dan pemerintahan desa, yang kini tidak hanya menjadi penerima manfaat, tetapi juga aktor utama perubahan.
Penulis: Alma
The scent of wet earth greeted the morning on the banks of the Kahayan River as stacks of Forest System Bulletins (SHK) arrived at several village locations. Distributed from late November to December 2, 2025, these bulletins were more than just reading material; they became a source of lively conversation in coffee shops, classrooms, and even the village office. Their presence emphasized that stories about peatland restoration, community activities, and forest conservation efforts were now directly in the hands of those closest to the changes.
In Mantaren I Village, the bulletins felt like news from old friends. Residents involved in peatland restoration activities discovered that their work was connected to a larger process in other villages. “Until now, we only knew what we were doing in the field. After reading the bulletins, it turned out that there were many other stories connected. We felt like we were part of something bigger,” said Kenong, Head of Handel Sei Sala, who was active in the construction of canal barriers.
Young students at SMKN 1 Kahayan Hilir received Forest System Bulletins from the KPSHK team on November 11, 2025. Photo source: KPSHK.
The SHK bulletin then went further, reaching SMKN 1 Kahayan Hilir, where several students used it as a supplementary learning resource. The stories in the bulletin, ranging from patrols and land mapping to strengthening village institutions, serve as concrete examples of the application of the environmental science they learn in class. “I just realized that there’s such a comprehensive program in our own area. This bulletin opened my mind to environmental work,” said Diana, an 11th-grade student who participated in the kahanjak darung bawan competition.
Meanwhile, in Gohong Village, the Village Government views the bulletin as a crucial document for developing work agendas. The information it contains provides a cross-sectional overview of community activities and the progress of peatland restoration. “This kind of information is important for the village government. We can see the progress of activities from various locations, and it helps us make decisions,” explained Vinni Pebrianti, Secretary of Gohong Village.
The enthusiasm for distributing the bulletin was also emphasized by Aftrinal S. Lubis, Program Manager of the Kahayan Hilir Initiative. “More people are aware of and experiencing the benefits of our Kahayan Hilir Initiative project interventions,” he said, emphasizing that information transparency is part of strengthening public trust.
From the outside, this bulletin may seem simple. But for the KPSHK Media Team, it holds a much deeper meaning. “This bulletin is not just an activity report, but a way for us to record our journey with the community,” they said.
From Mantaren I, to classrooms in Pulang Pisau, to Gohong, the SHK Bulletin has become a storyteller, channeling information, building understanding, and rekindling the spirit of preserving the peat forests that are the lifeblood of the community. The Kahayan Hilir Initiative is truly in their hands: residents, students, and the village government, who are now not only beneficiaries but also key actors of change.
Author: Alma
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