The Directorate of Environmental Partnerships KLHK and Kehati Foundation introduced biodiversity to dozens of scout members across Bandung Regency.
-
Date:
30 Apr 2020 -
Author:
KEHATI
The Directorate of Environmental Partnerships, Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), and the Sari Alam Medicinal Plant Garden (KTO), Soreang, Bandung, West Java, hosted the Action Movement for the Environment events on Sunday, January 7, 2018, with support from the KEHATI Foundation. Through their participation in the Exploration of Biodiversity (Kehati) activities, Biodiversity Wariors serve as scout leaders and companions in the Bandung Regency environment.
Jo Kumala Dewi, who serves as the Director of Environmental Partnerships at the Directorate General of Social Forestry and Environmental Partnerships, KLHK, explained the purpose of the environmental action movement. The primary goal is to enhance environmental awareness among the youth and specifically, the Saka Kalpataru Scouts who play a key role in environmental and forestry protection and management.
This movement is not only about raising awareness, but also improving the abilities of scout members and igniting their motivation to actively participate in environmental protection and management. The participating scout members largely belong to Penegak and Pandega groups.
“Saka Kalpataru, a distinct division within the scouts, is directly supervised by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and is committed to environmental conservation efforts,” Dewi stated.
The Biodiversity Warriors Coordinator of the KEHATI Foundation, Indeka Dharma Putra, explained in the same event that 65 members from the Scout Group of Bandung Regency participated in the Environmental Action Movement. Part of their activities was to familiarize themselves with the variety of medicinal plants and animal species.
The Scout members were briefed about the operations of Saka Kalpataru which consisted of three Kridas – Krida 3R, Climate Change Krida, and Biodiversity Krida. Within the Biodiversity Krida, some of their tasks included observing, recording, and documenting biodiversity, as per Indeka.
Scouts, being individuals that closely interact with nature, should be knowledgeable about their local biodiversity. This knowledge can spark their eagerness to conserve and protect biodiversity.
Oday Kodariah, the proprietor of KTO Sari Alam, expressed appreciation for the initiatives undertaken by the Action Movement for the Environment on his premises. Ms. Kodariah, who has been instrumental in preserving and sustaining medicinal plants by cultivating hundreds of different species, constitutes a valuable portion of Indonesia’s genetic resources. She emphasized that the younger generations carry a significant responsibility for safeguarding and enduring Indonesia’s diverse ecosystem. According to her, biodiversity is not something that is inherited, but rather a trust left in the care of our offspring and subsequent generations.