Keeping Bukit Soeharto breathing

The wind on the slopes of Bukit Tengkorak is no longer cool. A faint smell of smoke now seeps through the leaves, carrying a message of danger that cannot be ignored.

For almost a week, fire has been a real threat in this area that should be peaceful. Hotspots keep shifting, spreading and leaving scorched traces on the ground and trees.

Bukit Tengkorak, located in Suko Mulyo Village, Sepaku District, Penajam Paser Utara, now appears devastated after the fire. This conservation area is a vital part of the Bukit Soeharto Grand Forest Park, a green lung increasingly squeezed by rapid development.

It is here that diverse flora and fauna take shelter behind the tangled roots of old trees that hold the soil together. Unfortunately, that natural beauty is now covered by a blanket of grey ash.

Amid the remnants of the fire, officers from the Nusantara Capital City Authority are moving carefully to measure the affected area.

Although the exact figures have not yet been neatly recorded, the scene on the ground already speaks volumes of grief that the forest has been severely damaged.

Natural conditions seem to be worsening the situation. The El Nino phenomenon has brought a prolonged drought that cracks the soil and makes dry leaves rustle in the wind.

Bukit Soeharto has not even fully recovered from past wounds. History records that a massive fire once engulfed this area in 1997, leaving a dark mark that took decades to turn green again.

Now, while recovery is not yet complete, the threat of heat has struck once more. The fragile nature is becoming increasingly vulnerable, like thin glass ready to shatter at any moment.