Shared efforts turn wasteland into forest

By Heru Prasetya

YOGYAKARTA (JP): If you are one of those thinking Gunungkidul is dry, barren land, you have to go there and see what has been done to regreen that wasteland. What you see will change your image of the area.

The eastern regency has shed its image as a poor and unproductive area.

Just look at the lush green landscape at both sides of the street as you drive up the hills from Yogyakarta to Wonosari, the regency's main town.

Once wasted land, Playen, some 30 kilometers east, now boasts a forest thanks to years of regreening efforts involving the government, educational institutions and the local community.

Covering an area of some 400 hectares, the forest is home to various plant species, including mahogany, acacia, and teakwood.

Six hectares of the area has been earmarked as breeding grounds for animals. Yogyakarta's Gembira Loka Zoo has contributed five deer to the breeding program, all but one are female.

Special facilities have been built in Bunder forest for the deer. A wire fence has been installed around the forest to prevent the deer from encroaching residential areas nearby.

Chief of Gunungkidul Tourist Service Sugito said that in the future the breeding of the animals would not be done in the forest only but also in the residential areas around the forest and the local people would be involved.

If the ongoing breeding program within the forest is successful, selected local people will be given deer to breed.

"I am sure it will work well because breeding deer is similar to breeding goats, a tradition among the people," he said. The forest management will supply feed for the deer.

In the future, other animals will be bred in the forest, such as fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and primates. "We plan to build a safari garden if possible," said Sugito.

Besides animal breeding programs, Bunder forest is also earmarked for research and develop of various rare plants from throughout the country.

"Actually, the initial concept of the Bunder project is to create a transit tourist resort between Yogyakarta and Gunungkidul's famous beaches," Sugito said.

Beaches are Gunungkidul's foremost attractions. Famous beaches are Baron, Krakal, Kukup, Wediombo, and Sadeng on the Indian Ocean.

The nearest beach from Yogyakarta is some 60 kilometers. The distance between Yogyakarta and the tourist resorts explain why the region collects only some Rp 260 million a year from the tourism industry.

"By having such a transit forest, we hope more and more tourists will visit Gunungkidul," said Sugito.

Currently, the forest has already a number of facilities expected to attract visitors, such as an eucalyptus oil refinery, silkworm and bee culture and teakwood nursery.

"We will continue to build camping facilities to allow holidaymakers to enjoy more of their time there," he said.

But Playen is not only about trees and animal breeding. Local residents offer traditional handicrafts for souvenirs and traditional rituals. There is a major bird market, too, for pet lovers to visit.

Landscape is beautiful. Hills and ravines form beautiful landscapes. The Oya river runs through the forest and empties into the Indian Ocean.

The river is used for all purposes by people living along its course. In the dry season, rocks and boulders are exposed making beautiful views.

The conservation of Bunder Forest as a transit tourist resort is jointly worked at by the Yogyakarta provincial forestry office, Yogyakarta tourist office, Gunungkidul regency government and School of Forestry of Gadjah Mada University.

"We plan to officially open the forest by the year 2001," Sugito said.

Bunder Forest was formerly just as barren as other districts in the regency. The local tourist office noted that until 1965, it was still wasted land. But the efforts to regreen are succeeding.

The government has allocated some Rp 400 million for the transit tourist resort project.

Strong support came from Oemi Hani'in Suseno, a professor at Gadjah Mada's School of Forestry.

"We are very much in support of Gunungkidul government's plan to make Bunder a tourist transit forest," she said.

People in nearby villages have an open mind about the project.

"If it benefits us, we will surely accept it happily. If otherwise, I don't know what to say," said Martoredjo, a local who lives close to Bunder Forest.

What worries him is the possibility that he and his fellow villagers would be banned from collecting stones from Oya river for sale as building material. Martoredjo and thousands of other villages along the river rely on the stones for their living.

"I wonder if the future ecotourism will make things better than they are now," he said.