City sees urban forest in garbage<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta City administration has taken its
\nregreening program a step further by turning a former garbage
\ndump in Srengseng, West Jakarta, into an urban forest, a city
\nofficial reported over the weekend.<\/p>\n
"The city administration has decided to change the 15-hectare
\ngarbage dump into an urban forest," Aboejoewono, the chief of the
\nJakarta Bureau of Environmental Guidance, said at a biodiversity
\nseminar opened by Minister of Health Sujudi on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The seminar, which drew academics, government officials,
\nmembers of the business community and non-governmental
\norganizations, was organized by the University of Indonesia and
\nthe Biodiversity Foundation.<\/p>\n
Aboejoewono said that based on a central government policy,
\nand after President Soeharto launched the one-million-tree
\nprogram in 1993, Jakarta is working to create more spaces for
\ntrees and to preserve the local environment.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Governor Soerjadi Sudirdja said earlier that, ideally,
\n30 percent of the entire area of the capital city should be made
\nup of urban forest.<\/p>\n
"But Jakarta can only afford to spare 15 percent of its area
\nfor trees."<\/p>\n
In addition to three nature preserves and one national garden,
\nthe administration is now trying to create urban forests in the
\nheart of the city.<\/p>\n
The nature preserves are located on islands in the Jakarta Bay
\nand in North Jakarta, while the national garden is located in the
\nnorthern coastal area.<\/p>\n
An urban forest is a forest-like space that can help reduce
\nthe effects of pollution and help overcome water shortages,
\nAboejoewono explained.<\/p>\n
Converting the trash area in Srengseng into an urban forest
\nwill fill the absence of a main tree preserve in the western part
\nof the city.<\/p>\n
"In the first stages we plan to plant the area with 300
\ntrees," Aboejoewono said.<\/p>\n
Jakarta's current five urban forests, planned by the Ministry
\nof Forestry, are located at the former Kemayoran airport in the
\nnorth of Jakarta; the Ragunan Zoo in the south; in the area
\naround the Halim Perdanakusuma airport in the east; and at the
\nCilangkap Armed Forces headquarters, also in the east.<\/p>\n
Aboejoewono added that residential gardens and the trees
\nlining the city's roads also have a pro-environment effect,
\nthough most do not meet official urban forest requirements.<\/p>\n
An urban forest must consist of at least 0.25 hectares of
\nland.<\/p>\n
"Monas Park, which surrounds the National Monument in Central
\nJakarta, could be developed into an urban forest," he said.<\/p>\n
He added that East Jakarta is also preparing a buffer zone
\narea in the Pulo Gadung industrial estate to be an urban forest.<\/p>\n
Aboejoewono said that land limitations and a lack of public
\nsupport are slowing the growth of urban forests.<\/p>\n
Head of the Biodiversity Foundation Emil Salim, who is also a
\nformer minister of environment, told the seminar that different
\nperceptions of urban forest concepts have posed problems for the
\ngovernment's regreening program.<\/p>\n
"Most people put economic interests before environmental
\npreservation," he said, adding that public and business awareness
\nwill only be heightened through more information campaigns such
\nas this week's biodiversity conference.(03)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/city-sees-urban-forest-in-garbage-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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