National Nature Conservation Day 2017 Held in Baluran National Park
Expert Staff of Communications and Informatics Minister for Communications and Mass Media Affairs receives a souvenir from the Head of Public Relations of Bureau of Environment and Forestry Ministry at Hotel Santika, Banyuwangi, East Java, Friday (11/8). (Photo: PR/Dhany)
Ministry of Environment and Forestry held a Thematic Forum of Coordination Agency for Community Relations (Bakohumas) in Banyuwangi, East Java, from 11 to 13 August 2017. Head of Public Relations Bureau of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Jati Wicaksono Hadi, representing Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said that the principle of sustainability, agrarian reform, partiality to society, sustainable forest production, new and renewable energy development, environmental awareness and volunteers become the guidance in running the program.
The 2017 National Nature Conservation Day entitled Nature Conservation, Our Conservation was held in the Baluran National Park, Situbondo Regency, which has a unique savanna ecosystem system dubbed Little Africa van Java. Jati added that the event, held under Presidential Decree No. 22 of 2009 on National Nature Conservation Day, constitutes an effort to disseminate the nature conservation as a whole.
Nawacita (Nine Aspirations)
Head of Public Relations Bureau of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Jati Wicaksono Hadi said that Nawa Cita related to the Ministry are as follows:
- Building Indonesia from the periphery;
- Achieving economic self-sufficiency by driving the strategic sectors of the domestic economy;
- Strengthening the country’s presence in system reform and law enforcement; and
- Improving people’s productivity and competitiveness in Traditional Markets.
Some of the problems handled by the Ministry, according to Jati, are the exploitation and conflict of natural resource utilization that has not been accompanied by the improvement of people’s welfare, the decrease of forest and sea resources, habitat loss and degradation, erosion and contamination of drinking water.
Jati said that Indonesia has 54 National Parks from Gunung Leuser National Park in Aceh to Wasur National Park on the border of Papua New Guinea. And, the new national park is Zamrud and Gandang Dewata. “Let’s go to the National Park is the jargon of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to convey the message of conservation and nature tourism to the community,” Jati said.
When delivering the management of Baluran National Park, vet. Supriyanto representing Head of Baluran National Park Office said that the efforts to increase the need of water availability are natural puddles (regular check of the water discharge and quality) and artificial puddle (filling during dry season).
“Animal preservation is conducted by doing semi-natural breeding and monitoring the bull,” Supriyanto said.
When it comes to forest fire control, Supriyanto said that the fire area has continued to decline over the last five years.
“The number of tourists who visit the Baluran National Park in 2016 from domestic was 91,623, while from foreign countries at 1,193,” Supriyanto said.
The event was conducted by discussion method and field study to the Baluran National Park.
Also present at this event were Expert Staff of the Minister of Communications and Informatics for Communications and Mass Media Affairs, Director of Utilization of Environmental Services of Conservation Forest, and Representatives of Public Relations of Ministries/Agencies. (EN/DAN/ES) (MUR/YM/Naster).
