Youth Act Kalimantan, a youth organization that concentrates on social and environmental issues in Kalimantan, ran a campaign event titled the Heartland Project on June 21-23. Aimed at initiating tree planting and reforestation among Indonesian youth, the event was held in conjunction with the #FridaysForFuture demonstration in 131 countries as part of the "Climate Strike" and the Global Landscape Forum in Bonn, Germany.

 

 

 

 

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"Ketika hutan-hutan berhenti bernafas itulah saat dimana kita mengucapkan selamat tinggal" ~ Antony T. Hincks Selama bertahun-tahun Indonesia mengalami deforestasi akibat pembangunan yg tidak berkelanjutan. Inilah saat dimana kita harus berhenti untuk 'diam' dan melakukan sesuatu untuk melindungi hutan-hutan kita yang masih berdiri. Kami menyerukan kepada kaum muda di seluruh pelosok Indonesia untuk terlibat dalam The Heartland Project: menanam pohon untuk penghijauan dan merestorasi hutan-hutan Indonesia. Mari tunjukan ke dunia bahwa kita adalah penjaga hutan terbaik. #theheartlandproject #climatechange #forestrestoration #ranuwelum #youthact #kalimantan #indonesia #restoration @infopalangkaraya @infokalteng @tawakborneo @globallandscapesforum @explore_baritotimur

A post shared by YOUTH ACT CAMPAIGN (@youth_actkalimantan) on Jun 19, 2019 at 3:18am PDT

More than 800 people from Mentawai Islands and Padang in West Sumatra, Kalimantan, Malang and Jember in East Java, Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, Central Sulawesi, Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara and Papua joined the Heartland Project, according to a press release made available to The Jakarta Post.

Among the participants in the Heartland Project were individuals as well as communities and organizations including My Trip My Adventure Palangkaraya, Berau Model Forest, Mapala Sylva Raya, Yayasan Pendidikan Budaya Mentawai, state vocational school SMK 5 Jember and Forum Komunikasi Pemuda Kalteng.

The Heartland Project event saw the youth planting trees, conducting climate strikes on social media and in public spaces, using hashtags and disseminating photos and videos of their activities.

Read also: From Greta to Luisa, youths spearhead climate movement

Anastasia Dita, field coordinator of the Ranu Welum Foundation that stands behind Youth Act Kalimantan, said in the press release that through the movement they wanted to show the world that the youth were the best guardians of the forest, and that they had the power to generate change.

She also said that the Indonesian forests were one of the widest and richest natural landscapes in the world but also the one most vulnerable to deforestation and climate change.

The release also cited Forestry Ministry data that recorded a loss of 2 percent of Indonesian forest every year as a result of illegal logging, forest fires and making way for plantations, settlement and industry, hence the urgency to promote the climate movement. (gis/mut)