Jakarta, August 4, 2022. Indonesia is the country with the third-largest tropical rainforest in the world, stretching from Sumatra to Papua. This year, the Indonesian Forest Day Consortium is once again promoting the Indonesian Forest Day campaign, held annually on August 7. The main theme for this year's event is "Our Forests Are Sultans," which is hoped to spark a wider public's awareness of Indonesia's forest conservation efforts and encourage the official recognition of Indonesian Forest Day by the Indonesian government.
Miftachur Ben Robani, Coordinator of the 2022 Indonesian Forest Day Consortium, stated, "Our forests are rich, home to diverse flora and fauna. Indonesia's location in the tropics with high rainfall, thus boasting high biodiversity. Furthermore, our forests are also a source of food and medicine, a source of water, a source of clean air, and a home and cultural foundation for various ethnic groups and indigenous communities in Indonesia, as well as a carbon sink. Our forests are rich, providing a variety of benefits that we have enjoyed, both those within the forests, those around the forests, and communities far from the forests. Therefore, we must all continue to preserve Indonesia's forests."
"Indonesian Forest Day is also a moment to reflect on how far we have succeeded in protecting our forests. Based on Ministry of Environment and Forestry data processed by the Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation, Indonesia's Natural Forests shrank by 4 million hectares from 2011 to 2019. However, forest clearing appears to be decreasing year after year. We need to celebrate and monitor this so that the downward trend in forest cover change continues so that Indonesia's climate targets in the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the 2030 FOLU Net Sink Policy can be achieved," explained Nadia Hadad, Executive Director of the Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation.
Maria Dwianto, Communications Director of PT Rimba Makmur Utama, added, "We fully support the celebration of Indonesian Forest Day as an effort to build awareness and love among young people, especially urbanites, for Indonesia's forests. It is crucial for us to raise awareness among young people about the importance of preserving Indonesia's forests, as they will be the future decision-makers in our country. Restoring and conserving Indonesia's forests is a crucial agenda for combating climate change."
"This day has made forests a topic of conversation for many people and organizations, not because of fires, damage, or conflict in the forests, but because thousands of groups and millions of people are actively campaigning creatively and taking collaborative action at least one day a year on Indonesian Forest Day, August 7th. The goal is to make forest issues inclusive, so that more forest guardians, even those who live far from the forest, will become involved," said Christian Natalie, Program Manager of Hutan itu Indonesia.
Support for the Indonesian Forest Day celebration also came from urban groups, especially from K-Pop fans in Indonesia. Nurul Sarifah, campaigner for KPOP4PLANET, explained, "K-Pop fans come from Generation Z and Millennials, where the worsening impacts of the climate crisis, including deforestation, threaten our future. K-Pop fans themselves have made various efforts in forest conservation such as adopting protected animals, planting trees, adopting trees, and signing forest protection petitions in Papua. The solidarity of K-Pop fans in protecting and preserving forests is a form of our climate action to prevent the climate crisis from getting worse."
"Indonesian Forest Day, August 7th, reminds us as humans to protect forest and land ecosystems for human life on this planet. We all know that the contribution of Papua's tropical forests to life is very meaningful for humans and biodiversity. The government's commitment to protecting Papua's forests and biodiversity will help save endemic flora and fauna and respect the rights of indigenous communities to be a solution. For indigenous communities in Papua, the forest is like their mother, because all sources of livelihood are in the forest ecosystem, starting from the need for traditional medicines, flora and fauna, traditional rituals and much more. We are committed to protecting customary territories (forests and land), customary territories protect our lives, "said Yanuarius Anouw, Director of Bentara Papua.
Indonesian Forest Day is an initiative of the Indonesian Forest Day Consortium, a collaborative forum comprising 27 members from across organizations who share a shared awareness and mission, fully committed to preserving Indonesia's forests. "Our Forests Are Sultans" is the main message of the Indonesian Forest Day campaign, with the aim of inviting all elements of society to participate in campaigning that Indonesia's forests are rich in biodiversity, culture, potential, and economic value. Because without forests, there is no life.
At last year's Indonesian Forest Day celebration, the Indonesian Forest Day consortium successfully accommodated 96 cross-organizational collaborators, 792 digital volunteers, and was attended by more than 49,879 participants from 42 events, ranging from forest day exhibitions, webinars, competitions, virtual series, and concerts.
This year's Indonesian Forest Day commemoration will be centered at the Kemayoran City Forest in Jakarta, and will be enlivened by a musical event featuring Feby Putri and other musicians to sing along to songs about forests and popular songs. This will be followed by a screening of a short film entitled "Everything in Silence," which tells the story of a young person's journey in the Katingan forest, Central Kalimantan. This event will not only be held at the Kemayoran City Forest in Jakarta, but will also be broadcast online through the Instagram account @harihutan_id.
In addition, there will be a forest-style banquet and an exhibition of the Indonesian Forest Day journey from year to year. The forest-style banquet will feature local culinary delights, some of which are made from non-timber forest products (NTFPs).
* Media Contact : Ms. Luluk Uliyah – 0815-1986-8887 or via email harihutan.id@gmail.com
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About the Indonesian Forest Day Consortium
The Indonesian Forest Day (HHI) Consortium is a cross-organizational collaboration that brings important messages related to the Indonesian Forest Day campaign to a broader and more sustainable scope. The HHI Consortium is part of the follow-up to the Indonesian Forest Day celebration which was first held on August 7, 2020. The HHI Consortium's goal is to open networks and potential strategic collaborations with organizations that share the same vision and mission, and are also fully committed to being drivers of Indonesian forest conservation. Through the HHI consortium, it is hoped that concrete actions will emerge that have a direct impact on both government policies and impacts on the community. Currently, there are 27 organizations from the environmental and non-environmental fields that have joined as members of the Indonesian Forest Day Consortium. For more information about Indonesian Forest Day, please access the website www.harihutan.id
