If disaster is a teacher, it instructs in the cruelest manner,\nthrough tears and lost lives. However, lessons about nature need not\nwait for floods to arrive. Ecological intelligence\u2014the awareness that\nforests are more than just timber and rivers more than just water\u2014must\nbe instilled from when children first encounter their environment.\nWithout it, development yields only illusory progress, paid for dearly\nwith destruction and repeated disasters. We have just witnessed the\nstark irony of this at the close of 2025.<\/p>\n
Floods and landslides ravaged Sumatra at the end of 2025, causing\nsevere humanitarian impacts. Data from the National Disaster Management\nAgency (BNPB) indicate that the disasters in three provinces\u2014Aceh, North\nSumatra, and West Sumatra\u2014killed more than a thousand people and left\nhundreds missing. In Aceh alone, hundreds of residents were reported\ndead and dozens still declared missing, while tens of thousands of\npeople were forced to evacuate.<\/p>\n
Behind these figures, experts identify two main factors. Extreme\nrainfall was indeed the primary trigger, but forest damage in upstream\nriver areas in recent years worsened the flood impacts. The loss of\nforest cover reduces the soil\u2019s capacity to absorb water, increasing\nrunoff and heightening the risks of flooding and landslides.<\/p>\n
THE FATE OF INDONESIA\u2019S FORESTS<\/p>\n
Indonesia\u2019s tropical forests continue to shrink every year. Data from\nthe Ministry of Environment and Forestry show that Indonesia\u2019s forest\ncover is now about half of its land area. This contrasts with countries\nlike Bhutan, which constitutionally maintains over 70% of its territory\nforested and measures societal well-being not solely by economic growth,\nbut by happiness and environmental balance. As a tropical region,\nIndonesia ideally should have 40%-60% forest cover to prevent disasters\nand preserve biodiversity. The vital functions of forests for life are\nundeniable: trees absorb rainwater, prevent erosion, and maintain\necosystem balance. When forests diminish, rainwater that should be\nabsorbed by the soil instead flows rapidly into settlements, triggering\nfloods and landslides.<\/p>\n
These disasters serve as a stark reminder of the connection between\nenvironmental damage and heightened disaster risks. High rainfall driven\nby regional atmospheric dynamics is indeed a triggering factor. However,\nforest degradation and poor land governance amplify its effects on\ncommunities. Thousands of homes were damaged, and many residents were\nforced to evacuate as waters overflowed from rivers no longer able to\ncontain the rainfall volume.<\/p>\n
Such events demonstrate that disasters are not triggered solely by\nnatural factors, but also by how humans manage their environment. When\nforests are felled without restraint and spatial planning is neglected,\nnature loses its ability to protect humanity.<\/p>\n
MISGUIDED POLICIES<\/p>\n
Environmental damage in Indonesia does not occur suddenly. It is the\naccumulation of development policies that often prioritise short-term\neconomic growth over environmental sustainability. In recent decades,\npermits for plantations, mining, and infrastructure have expanded\ncontinuously. Local leaders sometimes abuse their authority to grant\nmining permits in areas that previously served as ecosystem buffers.<\/p>\n
Regulations aimed at accelerating investment often ease permitting\nprocesses, while oversight of environmental impacts remains weak. As a\nresult, forest areas that should function as water buffers and soil\nprotectors gradually shrink. They are ravaged by rampant mining and\nplantations that plant crops unable to maintain soil structure. This\ndamage is indeed triggered by policies, but the root problem lies\ndeeper. Another overlooked factor is the weakness of ecological\neducation in our education system. In many schools, environmental\nlearning remains theoretical and disconnected from students\u2019 real\nexperiences.<\/p>\n
Children learn about ecosystems from textbooks, but are rarely\nencouraged to understand how nearby forests store water, how rivers can\nbecome polluted, or how land-use changes affect community life. Without\ndirect experience, environmental concepts remain abstract and struggle\nto foster deep concern.<\/p>\n
Yet, local communities across Indonesia possess traditional knowledge\nthat has helped maintain natural balance for centuries. Indigenous\nforest management practices, prohibitions on felling certain trees, and\ncollective rules for resource use represent proven forms of ecological\nwisdom that ensure environmental sustainability. Unfortunately, this\nknowledge is rarely integrated into formal education systems. It is\nprecisely there that hope for long-term improvement lies.<\/p>\n
By recognising this gap, ecological education becomes a crucial\nlong-term investment. Such education does not merely teach theories\nabout nature, but builds awareness of the relationship between humans\nand their environment.<\/p>\n
Schools can serve as the initial space to nurture ecological\nintelligence. Learning need not always occur in classrooms. Students can\nbe taken to observe nearby rivers, study the role of trees in preserving\nsoil, or understand how environmental changes impact community life.<\/p>\n
Integrating local wisdom should also be part of the curriculum. By\nstudying environmental management practices passed down by indigenous\ncommunities, students not only grasp science but also learn to value\ncultural principles that support natural sustainability.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the government must strengthen environmental\nprotection policies and ensure that economic development aligns with\nsustainability principles. Sustainable forest management, oversight of\nland use, and community participation in decision-making<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ecological-intelligence-1774824646", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }