UI inaugurates forest arboretum as a space for education, research and healing

Universitas Indonesia (UI) has inaugurated the UI Forest Arboretum as a multifunctional green space that supports the mental health of the academic community and the public through mindfulness practices, while also serving as a facility to support the university’s Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi. UI Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, Students and Alumni, Hamdi Muluk, emphasised the importance of the UI Forest Arboretum as a symbol of academic and industrial synergy that delivers tangible impact, noting that its establishment and infrastructure were significantly supported by PT Sucofindo as a collaboration partner. ‘The UI Forest Arboretum is not just an open-air classroom, but also a reflective space that can serve as a means of healing and outdoor education. Its presence is clear proof that synergy between academic institutions and the industrial sector, such as the collaboration with Sucofindo, can be realised and have a sustainable impact on the academic community and the wider public,’ he said. The arboretum also functions as a flora and fauna laboratory, a soil and water conservation site, and a decarbonisation instrument with long-term benefits. Dr Dyah Triarini Indirasari, Vice Dean for Resources, Ventures and General Administration at the UI Faculty of Psychology, added that from a psychological science perspective, the arboretum is closely linked to nature mindfulness research, a nature-based therapy proven to improve mood, reduce anxiety, and even help in finding meaning in life. Group therapy programmes in the arboretum are expected to become a relaxation method amidst the daily busyness of the academic community and visiting members of the public. Meanwhile, Dr L.G. Saraswati Putri, Director of Community Service and Social Innovation at UI, stressed that the UI Forest Arboretum was created to provide a green open space close to the academic community and the surrounding public. The arboretum is expected to become a facility for learning, research, and safe relaxation in harmony with the environment. The directorate has initiated various programmes, such as forest bathing and sensory therapy, to maintain the mental health of the UI academic community by collaborating with a team from the Faculty of Psychology. She stated that the arboretum is a platform to strengthen the community’s relationship with the UI forest while fostering a shared responsibility to preserve its flora, fauna, and ecosystem. ‘We want to break the stereotype that urban communities cannot enjoy natural green open spaces due to distance. The UI Forest Arboretum is easily accessible to the academic community and the wider public around Greater Jakarta. The hope is that we can facilitate and bridge the gap so that urban society does not feel that their lives are far from nature, because the UI forest can realise this aspiration of living in harmony with the environment,’ concluded Dr Saraswati.