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As Youth Marine Camp host, Bappenas asks youth to conserve geopark
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87 delegates representing the youth of 14 geoparks from Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia joined UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) Youth Marine Camp as part of actions to protect the environment.
The event, organized by the Ministry for National Development Planning (Bappenas) in collaboration with the Geopark Youth Forum, focused on “The Way of Water: Designing the Future of Island Geoparks through Youth Initiatives” was held in Pulau Kepayang, Belitung. It ran from July 2 to 5.
Bappenas Chief Secretary Taufik Hanafi affirmed the central role that the youth play in protecting the environment. “They have taken concrete actions under the UGGp Youth Camp. For that reason, I really appreciate for the UGGp Youth Camp program,” he said.
“The youths will become the next leaders that will make important decisions related to global issues such as climate change, globalization and urbanization and ensure the implementation of sustainable development in Indonesia and globally. In Indonesia, one of the efforts to implement sustainable development is reflected in the geoparks initiative”.
Belitung Geopark, more commonly known as Belitong Geopark, is a part of Bangka Belitung province, located about 400 kilometers north of Jakarta.
Belitong Geopark was officially listed as a UNESCO Global Geopark during the virtual 211th Session of the Executive Board of UNESCO, held in Paris on April 15, 2021.
According to UNESCO, the Belitong Geopark is also unique due to the strong connection between its geological, biological and cultural aspects. “The unique geological landscape of Belitung Island is home to a variety of flora and fauna, some of which are only found in Belitung, such as the hampala barb and toman harimau (giant snakehead). Belitung people use the biodiversity of Belitung, including its herbal plants,” UNESCO says in its website.
The Belitong Geopark was the 6th Indonesian geopark to be included in the UNESCO Global Geopark list, after the Toba, Batur, Ciletuh, Gunung Sewu and Rinjani Calderas.
Taufik said that that seven of the 10 UNESCO Global Geopark sites in Indonesia were located in the islands and coastal areas, which were vulnerable to the climate change. “But from another side, the geopark also has a potential to be incorporated into the blue economy,” he added.
The Blue Economy was the priority discussion in the UGGp Youth Marine Camp, which was also held to share a range of knowledge about ocean and geopark conservation. The event partly aims to encourage the youth, the general public and stakeholders from ASEAN member states to gather and declare their commitment to implement the blue economy in parallel with the sustainable development of geoparks, according to Bappenas.
The ASEAN Blue Economy Forum 2023 also saw dozens of young people from ASEAN member states engaged in witnessing the release of baby turtles into the sea at Kepayang Island, a small island in Belitung, on July 4. Representatives from Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines joined the release of the baby turtles in front of an enthusiastic young crowd.
“Please move back to your habitat,” shouted one of the youths in the crowd.
Beach Clean Up
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Philippines to ASEAN, H.E. Hjayceelyn Mancenido Quintana, who participated in releasing the baby turtles into the sea, proposed the possibility of developing an arrangement of sister islands.
“You’ve heard of, for example, a sister city, but why don’t we have sister islands. Looking at this island, it reminds me of my own country. Of course, Indonesia is the largest archipelagic state and we are the second largest in Southeast Asia.”
“So, let’s keep the sea active and alive with activities. I think this is how you feel the atmosphere of peace, stability and prosperity,” she said.
In the ASEAN Blue Economy Forum, which was held simultaneously, the discussion was also focused on the development concept and empowerment of the people related to the blue economy given that the efforts to embody the ASEAN Blue Economy vision could be made only through the strong collaboration between all ASEAN member states.
“One example of a follow up step, which was addressed earlier, could be developing an arrangement of sister islands,” Taufik said.
Upon attending UGGp Youth Camp, the ASEAN Blue Economy Forum 2023 delegates also joined Beach Clean Up in Lengkuas Island, also in Belitung.
Bappenas deputy for maritime affairs and natural resources Vivi Yulaswati said that the beach clean-up effort was part of the concrete action to maintain and preserve the environment. “It is important for us to become aware that the plastic waste and pollution has reached an alarming level. Through the Beach Clean Up in Lengkuas Island, we can show to the world that we have paid special attention to the environment and sustainable development. With this small action of cleaning up the beach today, we can bring a long-term good impact,” said deputy minister Vivi.
Earlier, Bappenas, along with the German government through GIZ granted a pyrolysis machine for waste treatment to the Juru Seberang area.
“This has become one of the important issues as a result of the overfilled Gunung Sadai landfill,” Bappenas said in the statement.
Bappenas also showcased a waste treatment technology called Pyrolysis in the ASEAN Blue Economy Forum 2023 agenda on July 4 to introduce waste as a fuel alternative in order to improve the waste management system.
In the lead-up to the ASEAN Blue Economy Forum 2023, Bappenas held a program called “Running Into the Blue: Oceanic Geoventure” on July 2 in the category of Geo Run 5K, 10 K and 30 K and participated in by the ASEAN delegates.
Oceanic Geoventure is expected to enhance the understanding among ASEAN delegates about Indonesia’s commitment to develop Belitung as a tourism destination by adhering to sustainable and inclusive principles.
