PT Pertamina International Refinery (KPI) Unit III Plaju is committed to supporting sustainable development in South Sumatra.

This commitment is realized through support for the development of the Biodiversity Park in South Sumatra, which saw its groundbreaking ceremony held jointly with the South Sumatra provincial administration on Tuesday.

Acting South Sumatra governor Elen Setiadi mentioned that the reforestation of biodiversity parks had long been anticipated.

"The development of this park begins with reforestation and is not only intended for tourism purposes, but also aims to further conservation of the environment and biodiversity, which is a very positive step," she said.

Elen highly appreciated the involvement and full support of Pertamina Plaju Refinery in supporting the reforestation plans for the biodiversity park, which is planned to cover 5 hectares in the Jakabaring Sport Center (JSC) area.

"Thank you, Pertamina, for [being] willing to build South Sumatra together with us. I believe there is much we can achieve together," she added.

Meanwhile, KPI Unit III Plaju general manager Yulianto Triwibowo said Pertamina would continue to synergize with relevant stakeholders to achieve sustainable environmental goals.

"We believe this synergy is crucial in creating collective efforts to achieve our common goal of realizing sustainable environments. Therefore, in the future, we will continue to promote synergy with stakeholders as Pertamina Plaju Refinery's commitment to supporting sustainability goals," he said.

Yulianto also mentioned that Pertamina had set targets to reduce emissions and achieve net-zero emissions (NZE) by 2060. Thus, the park’s construction aligns with Pertamina's mission. "As part of our business, we also plant trees within and around the refinery environment," he continued.

Pertamina Plaju Refinery, Yulianto added, also focused on several biodiversity conservation programs, such as research on and conservation of the Chitala lopis fish, 154 of which have been conserved. Other projects include the breeding of 33 deer, consisting of 32 spotted deer and one sambar deer, the conservation of 28 Sumatran elephants, and planting 4,663 trees of 104 different species to support greening programs in the Pertamina Complex area.

First RI wetland park with 30 endangered tree species

The park will eventually feature a total of 55 rare tree species, including 30 primary species with an endangered status and 25 species that support them. Some of these are critically endangered with statuses ranging from vulnerable to critical, endangered or low attention. Some examples include the Geronggang tree (Cratoxylum arborescens), Meranti (Shorea), Tembesu (Fragea fragrans), Belangeran (Shorea balangeran) and Ramin (Gonystylus bancanus).

The park serves as a rare flora conservation site based in the swampy area around the Jakabaring Sport Center Complex in Palembang, making it Indonesia's first wetland park for biodiversity conservation.

The Biodiversity Park, hereinafter referred to as the Kehati Park, is a reserve area for local biological resources outside forest areas with functions for in-situ and/or ex-situ conservation.

The park aims to rescue various native/local plant species that face very high threats to their sustainability or threats that could lead to extinction," he said. The park will be divided into 87 percent green area, 3 percent water immersion area and 10 percent infrastructure.

The development of the park has long been planned, considering that South Sumatra currently lacks a specialized conservatory such as Kehati Park.

Additionally, the establishment of the park is mandated by Environment and Forestry Ministerial Regulation (PermenLHK) No. 3/2012 on biodiversity parks. The South Sumatra provincial government has also strengthened the foundation of the park’s construction through Governor's Decree No. 418/KPTS/DLHP/2021 Regarding the Site of the Kehati Park Area.

This Kehati Park will also be Indonesia's first swampland conservatory park.

Expanding to 20 hectares

The planting method involves mound systems that adapt to the height of flooding and tidal fluctuations.

Tree species are planted using fertilizer, initially sourced from block compost made from natural materials, ensuring environmental safety.

As for management and maintenance systems, it will be handled by multiple parties, which a staff of managers from Pertamina, DLHP, and JSC, for a collaborative period of 5 years, institutionalized with the governor's acting decree. If successful, the development area will be expanded to a total of 20 hectares.

The location was chosen mainly because it is not close to protected land areas. Swamplands inherently provide a certain set of habitat challenges. However, this Kehati Park is still the first biodiversity park in Indonesia built from scratch with no previous vegetation.

In the future, it is hoped that this Kehati Park will serve as a facility for the preservation of natural biological resources, biodiversity conservation, research activities and recreation.

Generally, plants aged 4-5 years are capable of self-adaptation and growth, although continued plant maintenance support is still necessary, with decreasing intensity as the plants mature.

Fadjar Djoko Santoso, vice president of corporate communication at PT Pertamina (Persero), added that with the groundbreaking of the park's development, Pertamina Plaju Refinery was also supporting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Number 15, which involves protecting, restoring and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, as well as managing forests sustainably.

"Pertamina Group strives to fulfill its commitment as a sustainable company, particularly in preserving nature. We hope efforts like this can safeguard the environment for future generations while mitigating climate change," he said.

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