Concert in aid of Kalimantan's forest
Concert in aid of Kalimantan's forest
JAKARTA (JP): Still fresh in the memories of many are the fires in the early 1980's which raged through Kalimantan's virgin forests.
The damage caused by the calamity may perhaps not be totally irreparable, but in launching efforts to bring about the recovery of these priceless assets, other aspects need to be considered. Foremost among them are demands from an increasingly prosperous society which in turn create mounting pressures from natural resources development; transmigration programs and shifting agriculture also add to the burden.
Careful management is needed in order to turn the conflicting aspects of exploitation and regeneration into mutually supportive elements within efforts to maintain the forests and at the same time fulfill the demands of the people. This is where Project Barito Ulu comes in.
Established in 1986, Project Barito Ulu was established under a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Forestry and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. It is a non-profit research venture supported by donations from trade and industry and in its operations works closely with government and university scientists.
Its specific aims are to gather unique data on plant-animal interactions to better and the processes of regeneration and to assist in management planning for conservation and sustained yield programs, identify new plant and animal species in order to enlarge the gene pool available for conservation and breeding programs, increase knowledge of the ecology of shifting agriculture in rainforest areas, and provide research and training opportunities for Indonesian scientists in wildlife biology and forest ecology.
Three Indonesian scientists are currently receiving sponsorship for Masters degrees at UK universities, following nine previous successful candidates.
As a non-profit venture, Project Barito Ulu is wholly dependent on donations. A fund-raising event is to be held on June 14 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, featuring renowned British cellist, Alexander Baillie who will be accompanied by Indonesian pianist Iswargia R. Sudarno in a program of compositions by J.S. Bach, Schubert, Schumann and Martinu.
Baillie's visit in Jakarta also includes masterclasses and a children's concert to be held at the Dutch cultural center, Erasmus Huis.
--Gus Kairupan