President Jokowi Launches Wanagama Nusantara Forest Area at IKN

President Jokowi inspects and launches the Wanagama Nusantara forest area located in the Rimba Kota B Zone of the Central Government Core Area (KIPP), Nusantara Capital (IKN), Friday (09/13). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Friday (09/13) inspected and launched the Wanagama Nusantara forest area located in the Rimba Kota B Zone of the Central Government Core Area (KIPP), the Nusantara Capital (IKN).

The launch is an extension of the Government’s efforts to strengthen environmental sustainability and sustainable education in the new capital.

In a statement, Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada Prof. Dr. Ova Emilia said that the Wanagama Nusantara is part of a grand strategy of forest management and restoration implemented in Kalimantan island, adding that the forest will become a hub for education and research on sustainability and climate change.

“Wanagama Nusantara is an ecosystem that replicates Wanagama [forest] in Yogyakarta [province], in which the focus is on restoration and reforestation of forests expected to be implemented in Kalimantan,” she said.

On the occasion, President Jokowi also witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between Acting Head of the Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN) Basuki Hadimuljono and Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), represented by Prof. Dr. Ova Emilia. The partnership aims to build a sustainable environmental ecosystem in the Wanagama Nusantara forest.

After the signing, the President and his entourage planted Shorea pinanga trees around the area as a symbol of support for forest restoration efforts. The tree planting also shows the Government’s commitment to maintaining environmental sustainability in the new capital.

President Jokowi then visited the Wanagama Nusantara forest area, where he also signed a Borneo ironwood as a symbolic gesture to support sustainable forest management on the island. The ironwood is one of the Kalimantan’s signature trees and is envisioned to be a symbol of sustainability and conservation in the area.

The peak of this event was the release of birds in the Wanagama Nusantara forest. The bird release is part of the Government and partners’ efforts to restore the Kalimantan forest ecosystem. The President symbolically released several birds into the wild, marking the first step in the effort to restore biodiversity in the area.

Prof. Dr. Ova Emilia also highlighted the importance of Wanagama Nusantara as an education and research center for environmental sustainability. She also expressed hope that the area can continue to grow.

“Not only as a place for reforestation and restoration but also as an inclusive scientific and educational hub toward the IKN surrounding communities,” she said. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/DNS) (FI/MMB)