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.