April 25, 2011
Students, local governments and activists marked the recent Earth Day by drawing attention to the multitude of environmental problems faced by Indonesia. The messages might not have been new, but the urgency was greater.
Earth Day, which was first held more than 40 years ago in the United States, is celebrated on April 22 each year but activities to mark the day extended until the weekend in Indonesia.
In Bogor, bird conservationists highlighted the need to protect forests from the threat of illegal logging, encroachment by settlements and land conversion.
“Forest damage has affected the ecological system and is threatening the well-being of people,” Ria Saryanti, conservation program manager at Birds Indonesia, said on Saturday.
Around 40 million Indonesians depend directly on forest resources, such as wood, rattan and firewood, and millions more indirectly, she said.
But she pointed out that studies showed low-land forest cover in Sumatra and Kalimantan had decreased by up to 41 percent since 1990.
In Padang, the West Sumatra chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said forest destruction in the province had reached disturbing levels.
Khalid Saifullah, the head of Walhi in the area, said the provincial government needed to take immediate action to prevent an ecological disaster.
“Every year, illegal logging in the province increases the chances that natural disasters such as landslides and flooding will occur,” he said.
About 30,000 cubic meters of timber were taken from forests in West Sumatra last year, he said, and 99 percent of this was not for the needs of the province.
“Environmental preservation is more than just this celebration,” Khalid said. “Protection of forests from excessive exploitation must become a priority.”
Meanwhile, 150 students from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) commemorated Earth Day by holding an event to clean two on-campus lakes from rubbish and weeds.
Devid Kurniawan, the event organizer, said that after cleaning up the areas, the students would plant 130 trees and stock the lakes with 2,000 fish.
In North Sumatra, the provincial government said it would honor Earth Day by working to increase energy efficiency.
Deputy Governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho said he realized that concrete action was needed, especially considering the depletion of the world’s energy sources.
He said the provincial administration would take steps to improve efficiency in electricity, water and vehicle use at all state institutions.
sumber:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/nvironment/earth-day-observed-across-indonesia/437192
