Interfaith Rainforest Initiative (IRI) Indonesia is expanding its\ninterfaith collaboration movement to achieve ecological justice and\nsustainable protection of forests in West Papua Province.<\/p>\n
IRI Indonesia National Facilitator Hening Parlan in Manokwari on\nThursday said forests should not be viewed merely as objects, but as\nnature and a gift from God that serves as a balancer of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cForests also serve as places of worship for all religious\ncommunities. Therefore, we must all prioritise moral values in caring\nfor forests,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
According to her, every religion teaches values of compassion and\nprohibits actions that could potentially damage forest sustainability so\nthat life between humanity and God\u2019s creation runs in harmony and\nbalance.<\/p>\n
Humans as social beings endowed with intellect, body and spirit have\na responsibility to protect forests, so that illegal logging practices\nor natural resource exploration activities do not occur.<\/p>\n
\u201cLong before that, indigenous communities already lived side by side\nwith nature. So, I invite interfaith communities to collaborate with\nindigenous communities to protect forests,\u201d Hening said.<\/p>\n
She said the expansion of the interfaith movement in protecting\nforest sustainability is highly relevant to West Papua\u2019s commitment,\nwhich has declared itself a conservation province or sustainable\ndevelopment province.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want development to proceed hand in hand with efforts to protect\nforests, not the other way around by damaging forest ecosystems,\u201d she\nsaid.<\/p>\n
West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan said indigenous communities\nview forests not only as natural resources, but as an inseparable part\nof their socio-cultural identity, spirituality and local wisdom.<\/p>\n
West Papua plays an important role in protecting biodiversity and\nmitigating climate change, because forest areas serve as habitats for\nvarious species and absorb carbon dioxide emissions.<\/p>\n
\u201cReligion and faith must not stop at spiritual rituals in places of\nworship, but must be present in real life to shape ethics and morals in\nprotecting the environment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said the West Papua Provincial Government, through Special\nRegional Regulation Number 10 of 2019 on Sustainable Development, has\ncommitted to protecting at least 70 percent of forest ecosystems and 50\npercent of water areas.<\/p>\n
Maximum forest protection requires the involvement of indigenous\ncommunities, religious organisations, civil society, businesses,\nacademics and mass media because the government cannot work alone.<\/p>\n
In addition, Dominggus also asked IRI Indonesia to support the\ndevelopment of indigenous community economies based on green economy\nprinciples and local potential through the Productive West Papua\nprogramme.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/iri-indonesia-expands-interfaith-movement-to-protect-west-papuas-forests-1786639994", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }