World Environment Day 2024 carries the theme “Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience,” which is very relevant to Indonesia’s current conditions. As an archipelagic country rich in biodiversity, Indonesia faces serious challenges in its efforts to preserve the environment and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
In addition, the problem of desertification is also a real threat to Indonesia. Climate change and environmentally unfriendly agricultural practices have caused land degradation in several regions, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. Desertification not only threatens the food and economic security of local communities, but also contributes to global warming through the release of carbon from degraded soils.
Land restoration is a top priority on the national environmental agenda. Land damage due to unsustainable management practices, such as illegal logging, illegal mining, and forest fires, has caused severe ecosystem degradation in various regions of Indonesia. Land restoration efforts through replanting native vegetation, reforestation, and integrated management are essential to restore soil fertility, conserve biodiversity, and maintain sustainable ecosystem functions.
On World Environment Day 2024, KPSHK in the integrated management program for peat forest ecosystems (PTEHG), one of the main focuses of the second year of the PTEHG program is forest and peatland restoration. One form of forest and peatland restoration activity is planting in areas that have been and analyzed by the program.
Since October 2023, the LPHD management has prepared a planting team in the village and formed a team to manage nurseries and seedling nurseries. The types of forest plants planted are Balangeran (Shorea balangeran), Jelutung (Dyera lowii), and Pulai (Alstonia spatulata). Planting activities are carried out in Buntoi Village Forest, Gohong Village Forest, Kalawa Village Forest, and Mantaren I Village Forest.
“Peat ecosystem restoration is an effort to restore the peat forest ecosystem, 88,619 seedlings have been planted, with a total area planted of 221 Ha.” Abdul Azis explained as the KPSHK Peat Restoration Manager.
This integrated peat forest ecosystem program carries out planting in 4 villages for 9 years which is carried out in the second year of the program until the tenth year of the program.
According to Azis, the PTEHG program planting activities aim to restore damaged ecosystems and ensure that peatlands can continue to function as important carbon storage, as well as provide economic and ecological benefits for local communities and the world at large.
This planting involves many people, starting from the seedling care process at the TPS, making stakes, transporting seedlings and planting, people from 4 LPHDs in Kahayan District who are involved in planting are approximately 50 people including parents and youth.
The active participation of the 4 village communities in planting activities can also be seen from the contribution of the community to become a planting team for each village. The socialization of PTEHG program planting activities was also carried out so that the community is aware that preserving the environment and supporting land restoration efforts is very important. By uniting and acting immediately, we can protect Indonesia’s natural wealth, especially peat ecosystems, and ensure the sustainability of natural resources for future generations.
World Environment Day 2024 is a momentum for all of us to reflect on the impact of our actions on the environment and take real steps to protect forests. Let’s work together to restore land, combat desertification, and build resilience to drought, for a greener and more sustainable future.
Writer: Alma Tiara
Editor: Joko Waluyo
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