Gunung Kidul sows a greener future

The Jakarta Post, Gunung Kidul

Gunung Kidul, once known as a dry and barren district in Yogyakarta, will hopefully look greener next year after the local administration's decision to sponsor a sustainable reforestation program in 516 hectares of barren and critically damaged land in 18 of the regency's subdistricts.

Bambang Sukemi, chief of the local forestry ministry office, said a majority of residents in the 18 subdistricts have begun planting seedlings distributed by the local administration.

"Within the next two and three months, all seedlings that villagers have planted will grow higher and bigger so that the mountainous areas located in the Yogyakarta province's southern region will look greener," he told The Jakarta Post here over the weekend.

Bambang said the reforestation project, which has absorbed Rp 616 million, was financed by the central government under the general allocation fund scheme and carried out by the local administration in cooperation with local people.

The funds were used to prepare the land, supply seedlings and cultivate the plants.

Bambang hailed the unique project in which villagers have played a major role.

"The government has only played a role of motivating villagers and encouraging them to actively participate, and they have done it well," he said.

He said the 18 subdistricts' residents divided into 24 groups and were free to determine which seedlings they would plant on their land, while the government provided information on how to cultivate the seedlings.

"Most groups have planted their seedlings, which are expected to grow bigger in the next two or three months," he said, saying that most villagers preferred to plant hardwood, mahonia and acacia trees.

In addition to the reforestation program, villagers could also use their land to cultivate nucleus plants to support themselves.

Bambang said that, to maintain the reforestation program's sustainability, the local administration had issued a ruling that villagers were obliged to plant five trees for every tree they cut down.

"Villagers will be allowed to harvest their forest but they are obliged to plant five trees for every tree they cut down," he said. "And both authorities and the people will take strict action against possible forest theft and looting, because such activities will bring suffering to local people and the environment."

He said the local administration would extend the reforestation program throughout many other subdistricts in the regency.

"We have many hundreds of hectares of critical land that needs to be regenerated in the future," he added.

So far, more than 11,000 hectares of critical land in the regency have been reforested with large tree species and a majority of local people now enjoy ground water as a result.

Widodo, 35, a farmer, praised the reforestation program, which he said had helped local people improve their social welfare and preserve their environment.

"We no longer feel inferior originating from Gunung Kidul instead of other regencies, because this regency is becoming greener and many students have gained their S-1 titles from the timber trade," he said.