Surely, we all know why we must continue to protect forests. Yes, that's right, because forests are the lungs of the world, the breathing center of everything on this earth. Imagine if forests were destroyed, the source of clean air would be lost. That's why we must always protect forests to ensure their sustainability.
So, can those of us who live far from forests still participate in forest conservation? The answer is, of course, yes. There are many ways we can help protect forests, even if we live far from them. One way is by becoming a tree caretaker in the Tree Fostering Program.
What is the Foster Tree?
Pohon Asuh is a forest conservation program using crowdfunding. This is a form of funding collected collectively from many parties. The funds are then used to maintain and protect forests to ensure their sustainability.
The Tree of Fostering Program, pioneered by the Warsi Community Empowerment Program (KKI Warsi), has now been expanded to many of its assisted areas, including the Rantau Kermas Customary Forest in Merangin Regency, Jambi. It has also been expanded to four nagari (village) forests in West Sumatra: the Simancuang Nagari Forest in South Solok Regency, the Sungai Buluh Nagari Forest in Padang Pariaman Regency, and the Sirukam and Simanau Nagari Forests in Solok Regency.
The trees to be fostered are first identified, with a minimum diameter of 60 cm selected. After being identified using GPS, the data is then entered into the foster tree website, www.pohonasuh.org . The foster tree data on this website is available to the public. The public can then select their foster tree through the website.
On the website, caregivers can choose the type of tree, its location, and the duration of their donation. This can be for a year or longer. The fee is quite affordable: just 200,000 Rupiah per tree for one year. Once the donation period has passed, it can be extended.
Tree caretakers will be notified of the location of their tree and its progress via email every six months. Once the term expires, they will be notified via email whether they wish to renew their caretakership. The caretaker's name and a description of the tree will be displayed on a nameplate attached to the tree.
Photo of the Sirukam Village Foster Tree. (Kiki Andianto @Yayasan Madani Berkelanjutan)
Contributions from this foster tree program are not only used to carry out forest rescue activities by developing social forestry and forest patrol activities, but are also used to support community work.
The foster tree program is not only attended by residents of West Sumatra and Jambi, but also by people from various backgrounds. Daniel Mananta and Dian Sastro are examples of residents and celebrities from the capital city participating in the foster tree program. The foster tree is located in the Nagari Sirukam Forest, Solok Regency.
For those of you interested in learning more about this program, you can also learn more about the tree foster program at www.pohonasuh.org . Come on, Civil Friends, the trees over there are calling you to care for them. Let's foster a tree at Pohon Asuh!
