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Urbanites encouraged to burn calories, raise funds for forests
The funds collected will be given to Soraya Research Station, which overlooks a forest area of 500 hectares in Leuser, Aceh.
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Illustration of a rainforest. (Shutterstock/Stephane Bidouze)
T
here is a famous line from the Indonesian hit movie Ada Apa dengan Cinta? (What's Up with Love?), from a poem written by lead character Rangga: “Ku lari ke hutan”. But for nonprofit organization Hutan Itu Indonesia (Forest is Indonesia), Ku Lari Ke Hutan (I Run to the Forest) is a program to create sustainable recreation for tourists while taking care of nature. The program allows tourists to run in forests and get involved in replanting them.
However, with the current health crisis, the program has shifted to an online platform called Kalori Untuk Hutan (Calories for Forest).
“From running in the forest, now the program has switched to working out at home while telling a personal story about the forests near to where the participants live or ones they have visited,” said Andre Christian, the organization's leader, during an online panel discussion titled Conservation amid Pandemic: Where to Go?. Held on Sep. 25, it was organized by travel website TelusiRI.id.
“Participants are expected to do any kind of sport anywhere to burn or release calories as well as to be able to create their own forests at home or in their neighborhoods,” Andre said. He added that the biggest challenge in conservation was encouraging city dwellers to join the cause.
With Kalori Untuk Hutan, urbanites are challenged to work out from home frmo Oct. 5 to 25 and burn 1 million calories collectively.
They are also encouraged to raise funds for the Soraya Research Station located deep in the Leuser forest of Aceh.
The station was built in 1994 but later neglected after a local dispute in the logging industry. In 2014, the Leuser Conservation Forum in collaboration with the Aceh Forestry Agency reactivated the station, which overlooks a forest area of 500 hectares.
People who are interested in joining the cause can visit their official website.
The panel discussion Conservation amid Pandemic: Where to Go? was part of TelusuRI’s Tourism Week, which ran from Sep. 21 to 27. It featured online events and panel discussions focused on the tourism industry, which is among the hardest-hit sectors amid the pandemic. (wng)
