Hulu Sungai Tengah Creating Urban Forests

Barabai, S.Kalimantan, The Forestry, Husbandry and Plantation office of Hulu Sungai Tengah district, South Kalimantan, continues to pursue urban forest development, the head of the office`s cultivation and forest conversion section, Darkuni, said here Friday.

"This is in accordance with Government Regulation Number 63/2002 on urban forests that says at least ten percent of urban areas shall be reserved for urban forests," he said.

The regulation also states that an urban forest in a single massive overlay should at least cover 0.25 hectares.

Hulu Sungai Tengah district currently has two urban forest areas, one area covering 0.25 hectares and the other one hectare wide.

"Both areas were covered by the local regulation issued by the district head in accordance with the provisions set out in Government Regulation No 63/2002," Darkuni said.

The urban forests were created to maintain sustainability, harmony and balance of the ecosystem in urban areas which include environmental, social and cultural elements, he said.

Urban forests serve as water catchment areas, create balance and harmony of the physical environment of the city, improve and maintain the micro climate and aesthetics as well as support Indonesia`s biodiversity conservation, Darkuni explained.

An urban forest area is a part of a green open space that can be located on land belonging to the state, private sector or local community, he added.

Ideally, Sungai Hulu Tengah should have urban forests covering 300 hectares of the city but it was difficult to realize due to the limited area of land available, he said.

In addition, the selection of the location and the coverage of the urban forests should be based on considerations about land area, population, pollution levels and physical condition of the city.

Through the implementation of the One Billion Indonesian Trees (OBIT) campaign this November, the office hopes it could make efforts to develop the urban forests, Darkuni said.