Badiman brings orchid back to light

Badiman brings orchid back to light

Bambang M., Contributor, Yogyakarta

Indigenous to a forest located on the southern slope of Mount
Merapi, the pandanus orchid has been rarely spotted in its
natural habitat. However, the pandanus is back for people to
adore largely due to the efforts of one man, Badiman.

With white petals dappled pink, the pandanus orchid (Vanda
tricolor lindl) was displayed at the exhibition last month thanks
to Badiman, a 25-year-old man from Ngrangkah hamlet in
Cangkringan, Sleman.

His efforts and achievements in bringing back the orchid --
now rarely seen in its natural habitat due to volcanic eruptions
or because of visitors to the forest, who often take them as
souvenirs -- have been recognized through various environmental
awards. Badiman was recently awarded the first environmental
pioneer award by Sleman regency, and in July, he also received an
award from Director General Adi Susmianto of the Forest
Protection and Nature Conservancy (PHKA).

"Receiving the awards don't surprise me. The most important
consequence of these awards is that I have made many new friends
because of the many people who have come to see the orchid at my
house," said Badiman at his simple house on the southern slope of
Mt. Merapi.

"For a Javanese man like me, friends are like brothers and are
more important than money," said the father of two, who
cultivated the orchid at his home. As part of his efforts to
revive the orchid, he has returned some 30 orchids to the forest
and displayed about 50 orchids at the exhibition.

His interest in the environment began when he was still a
child. Just like any villager living near the forest, he has
traditional knowledge about the forest, but his concerns for the
environment grew when he was at junior high school, after he
attended a series of workshops organized by the Forest
Conservation Network (Skephi), an environmental NGO. Later, he
was even involved in a rally which received much coverage,
protesting the construction of a golf course in Cimacan, West
Java.

"Back then, I was not afraid. Instead, I felt happy joining
the rally," Badiman recalled.

During senior high school, he led a group of friends in
protesting a school policy to raise enrollment fees, which
resulted in Badiman and his 47 friends failing to graduate from
the school. "And I was not a stupid student," laughed Badiman,
who then moved to a new school with his friends.

After graduating, he tried his hand at many odd jobs,
including a position as a factory worker.

It was when he joined Skephi in 1990 that he learned about the
orchid through a magazine. He read that the pandanus orchid of
his hometown came up as the winner in an orchid competition in
the Netherlands, where the orchid was being cultivated. There was
only a single question in his mind upon reading the article: why
was the orchid being cultivated in another country, and not in
his village?

Feeling homesick and no longer interested in working in
glamorous Jakarta, Badiman decided to return to Sleman in 1995
and become a cow breeder.

It was when gathering grass in the forest that Badiman noticed
the absence of the pandanus orchid in the wild. He even traveled
to the orchid's main habitat of Plawangan, Turgo forest, in
search of the orchid, but still could not find it. Instead, he
found most of the area blackened as a result of a 1994 natural
disaster.

It was then that he heard his calling to save the orchid by
cultivating it at home.

Enlisting the help of several friends, he requested financial
assistance from the Natural Resource Conservancy (KSDA) office in
Yogyakarta, which provided a Rp 2 million grant. With this money,
Badiman bought 25 pandanus orchids from his neighbors and the
materials needed to grow the orchids.

Badiman explained that it is crucial to make an effort to save
the orchid since in its natural habitat, the orchid does not
propagate easily because insects feed on its pollen. Moreover,
the orchid requires large host trees, and such trees are also
increasingly hard to find.

"This bad condition is worsened by visitors who like to take
the orchid as souvenirs," said Badiman.

Badiman is patient in his work as it takes a considerable time
to grow the orchid. It takes six months for the seed to grow into
a young orchid, and another five years for the orchid to flower.
During this period, Badiman must be vigilant about protecting the
orchid from insects.

"I'm really satisfied because I have succeeded," Badiman
smiled.

In addition to Badiman, five other farmers now cultivate the
pandanus orchid.

Currently, Badiman has 400 adult orchids and 700 young orchids
at his small nursery. "If someone wants to buy an orchid, I'll
sell, but only two or three small orchids," said Badiman.

During the beginning of the rainy season, Badiman has to work
harder, separating the small orchids from the adults. "But I
don't know how I will manage since there's not enough space
anymore," said Badiman.

In June, Adi Susminato of PHKA came to visit him, and Badiman
used the opportunity to request more funding to expand his
facilities. Five months have gone by, and Badiman has yet to
receive a response.

Badiman has insisted, however, that he would keep cultivating
the orchids as long as he can. "In future, I can sell the flowers
because they're very expensive," he said, full of hope.