ID :
13074
Sat, 07/19/2008 - 16:53
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http://m.oananews.org//node/13074
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FORESTRY MINISTER LAUNCHES ONE-MILLION-TREE-PLANTING CAMPAIGN
Semarang, C Java, Indonesia, July 18 (ANTARA) - Forestry Minister MS Ka'ban, along with students from 101 different universities in the country launched a one-million-tree-planting movement at the Sultan Agung Islamic Unversity (Unissula) campus here on Friday.
The minister and students planted trees at the Perekat Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia (Glue of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia) park on the campus compounds.
The students were in Semarang for the national student scientific week (Pimnas).
The minister said the movement was part of efforts to save the planet from global warming.
"I hope students and institutes of higher learning would realize that the time has come to make the Indonesian soil better, cool, beautiful and green," he said.
Realizing that deforestation in the country had occured since a long time ago, the minister said the government's reforestation program had given priority to the upper reaches of river.
The upper reaches of river played a significant role in preventing floods and landslides in the rainy season and supplying water in the dry season, he said.
He said the government was making a concerted effort to save at least 318 river basin areas across the country and had set itself a target of planting trees on three million hectares of land in the upper reaches of river.
He said deforestation had occurred since the era of President Soeharto's administration with the deforestation rate reaching almost 900,000 hectares per annum.
The rising number of development activities and housing complexes put a further strain on the country's forests with the deforestation rate doubling to around 1.8 million hectares per annum, he said.
"The deforestation continues and reaches its peak during the reforms era which constitutes the climax of deforestation due to regional autonomy euphoria," he said.
The minister and students planted trees at the Perekat Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia (Glue of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia) park on the campus compounds.
The students were in Semarang for the national student scientific week (Pimnas).
The minister said the movement was part of efforts to save the planet from global warming.
"I hope students and institutes of higher learning would realize that the time has come to make the Indonesian soil better, cool, beautiful and green," he said.
Realizing that deforestation in the country had occured since a long time ago, the minister said the government's reforestation program had given priority to the upper reaches of river.
The upper reaches of river played a significant role in preventing floods and landslides in the rainy season and supplying water in the dry season, he said.
He said the government was making a concerted effort to save at least 318 river basin areas across the country and had set itself a target of planting trees on three million hectares of land in the upper reaches of river.
He said deforestation had occurred since the era of President Soeharto's administration with the deforestation rate reaching almost 900,000 hectares per annum.
The rising number of development activities and housing complexes put a further strain on the country's forests with the deforestation rate doubling to around 1.8 million hectares per annum, he said.
"The deforestation continues and reaches its peak during the reforms era which constitutes the climax of deforestation due to regional autonomy euphoria," he said.
