Expert calls for better Bogor town planning

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Director of the Botanical Gardens, Suhirman, has called for better town planning with more emphasis on the Botanical Gardens as a scientific domain with historical value.

He said Saturday that the development of Bogor should support the gardens' existence. The gardens should be taken into account in the master planning of the town, he said.

"But what is happening is the opposite. They are trying to adjust the Botanical Gardens to the development of the town," Suhirman told The Jakarta Post after launching the Botanical Gardens Clean Campaign.

The campaign, held in coordination with the Bogor Rotary Club and Friends of the Indonesian Botanical Gardens, was launched at the Botanical Gardens in conjunction with its 179th anniversary.

Suhirman said that the Bogor administration is considering moving the main gate of the 87-hectare Botanical Gardens to the other side of the gardens to ease traffic. Opposing the idea, he said that moving the gate would not solve the problem.

"What we need is a sound master plan," he said.

"There should be open spaces surrounding the Botanical Gardens. But you see, they built the Internusa shopping center and the Bogor market...," he added.

The shopping center and the market, which are located opposite the gardens, are apparently the main sources of traffic congestion in the area.

The Bogor Botanic Gardens is home to about 4,500 species of flora. More than 100 of the plants are over 100 years old, according to the gardens' chief of science department, Sukendar.

About 1.5 million people visit the gardens every year, Suhirman said. However, most people are unaware that the Botanical Gardens is a scientific center with historical value, he added.

The Botanical Gardens was established on May 18, 1817, by German botanist C.G.C. Reinwardt for scientific purpose.

"The place is more than a garden. If we compared it with the Mekar Sari fruit garden (in Cileungsi, West Java), I should say that both of them are wonderful. But the Botanical Gardens has more historical value," Suhirman said.

Director of the institute, Soefjan Tsauri, said in a written statement that the fast population growth, development and the felling of forests pose big challenges to flora conservation.

He encouraged Botanical Garden employees not to worry about the challenge but to see it as an opportunity to dedicate themselves more.

The Botanical Gardens Clean Campaign was launched to educate visitors through songs and entertainment about environmental cleanliness. On Saturday, a short play about Mr. Clean and Trash Worm was performed. Entertainer Henny Purwonegoro and Bina Vokalia choir also presented a number of songs with an environmental theme.

New trash bins were also installed in the Botanical Gardens.

Mr. Clean and Trash Worm, as well as the theme song Tong Sampah (Rubbish Bin), were created exclusively for the campaign. Mr. Clean and Trash Worm will be at the gardens among visitors every Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.

The entrance fee to the gardens is Rp 1,000 (40 U.S. cents).

Suhirman said that the management is planning to charge foreign tourists more because they have a higher standard of living. (sim)