Planting Trees to Commemorate World Environment Day and World Rainforest Day

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By Petrus Kanisius, Media Coordinator and Environmental Education Officer

This June we commemorated two special days – World Environment Day, celebrated June 5th, and World Rainforest Day, celebrated June 22nd. We commemorated both days simultaneously by planting trees along the road to the tourist destination of Celingcing Mangrove Forest in Suka Baru Village, Benua Kayong District, Ketapang Regency on Sunday, June 18th. This planting activity was organized by the Yayasan Palung/GPOCP Environmental Education Program in collaboration with the West Bornean Orangutan Caring Scholarship (WBOCS) students and youth group volunteers from RK-TAJAM and REBONK. We also collaborated with the Gunung Palung National Park Bureau (BTN-GP); the Ketapang Regency Housing, Settlement and Environment Office; Ketapang Military Command 1203; Ketapang District Resort Police; Indonesian Navy Base (LANAL); Tanjungpura University Forestry Alumni Association (IKAHUT); Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis); Celingcing Suka Baru United Village group; and other government and non-governmental organizations. Also in attendance were students from several schools throughout the Ketapang Regency.

Representatives from the Ketapang Military Command plant a tree together with Yayasan Palung/GPOCP staff. Field Director, Edi Rahman, is on the far right.

YP/GPOCP Field Director, Edi Rahman, gave opening remarks at the event, explaining the two important days we were celebrating with the tree planting. The land rehabilitation event also supported the Ketapang District Regent’s Circular Letter Number 8 of 2023 Concerning Action for Continuing the Planting of a Million Trees, and supported the Suka Baru Village which is designated as a mangrove tourist destination in Ketapang. We’d like to thank all the parties who supported the tree planting activity so that everything could be carried out according to plan.

YP/GPOCP Field Director, Edi Rahman (second from right), plants a tree.

In total, there were representatives from 60 different institutions (government agencies, NGOs, community organizations, universities and schools) invited to the tree planting event, with over 175 participants in attendance. A total of 500 seedlings of mahogany and areca species were planted. The first symbolic planting was carried out by the YP/GPOCP Field Director, the head of the Gunung Palung National Park Bureau, and many of the invited representatives from other agencies. Then we all worked together to plant the remaining seedlings.

Participants join together at the event in honor of World Environment Day and World Rainforest Day.

We also asked all participants who attended to bring drinks from their respective homes using bottles that were not made of plastic. We aimed to reduce plastic waste at the event, particularly because this year’s theme for World Environment Day was “Beat Plastic Pollution.” After all the tree planting was complete, we all socialized and relaxed together at the Celingcing Beach, enjoying the scenic views and cool air of the mangrove forest.