Meanwhile in Indonesia
Forest is Indonesia, A Positive Campaign to Grow Our Love for Indonesia’s Forests – from Leoni
Indonesia Nature Film Society (INFIS) together with various partners and artist launched a movement called Hutan Itu Indonesia (Forest is Indonesia). This is an open-based movement for anyone who is concerned or would like to participate to emphasize the importance of protecting Indonesia’s forest. Series of If Not Us Then Who movies were screened in front of audience of mainly urban youth who live and work around Jakarta. Students from three university in Jakarta were also invited to support this movement.
The fact that is even with such wealth, Indonesian forests have taken a back seat in people’s minds as urbanization accelerates and more than half of the population is living in Java, where only very little forests are left. A 2015 study found that although 57% of urban consumers understand plantations often replace forests, less than 5% of respondents pointed at forest loss as a negative consequence of oil palm development. Some respondents even suggested that one of the positive impacts of oil palm plantations is they “regreen” areas. This indicates that consumers lack a full understanding of the environmental and social benefits that forests provide and consider any areas with trees, such as plantations, to be just as valuable as forests, despite the lack of biodiversity, carbon, hydrological functions, and cultural heritage in monoculture plantations.
“It seems that forests are out of sight, out of mind,” said Leony Aurora as the coordinator of this campaign. This campaign is aimed to raise awareness on the value of forests for all of us– not just those who living around them – and secure a special place in our hearts is critical if we want to preserve this wealth and legacy. “Therefore forests need to reclaim their position as part of the identity of Indonesia,” she added.
Hutan Itu Indonesia launching session in f(x) Sudirman conducted with the cooperation of UNDP Indonesia, Kompas TV, CCAI, iRadio, Cosmopolitan FM, Kinanthi, WWF-Indonesia, IDOEP, and Green Indonesia. Variety of activities overseen by this movement launching event, from forest film festival screening, poetry reading, talkshows, and music performances from artist such as; Melanie Subono, Astrid, and Float. Government representation from Ministry of Forestry also attend this launching event with a form of welcoming gesture and commitment to work together in protecting Indonesia forest through youth goes to national park programs.
The first year objective of this movement is to launch Youth-to-Youth provincial campaign. The daily task force of the movement will create concrete strategies to host other awareness-based events such as forest preservation activities and community market in and outside the forest. This movement might not be the magic from heaven that can heal the devastation of deforestation in Indonesia, but with an optimist hope that this movement will be a significant silver lining of progress in community level in regards to commitment of protecting Indonesia forest.
More information about Hutan Itu Indonesia: www.hutanitu.id