Manado, North Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Bitung City in North Sulawesi Province continues to finalize preparations to mark National Nature Conservation Day (HKAN), celebrations for which will be centered in the Tangkoko Nature Tourism Park in Ranowulu Sub-district.

"President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is scheduled to attend National Nature Conservation Day on August 8-10, 2018," Mayor of Bitung Max Lomban remarked here on Thursday.

Lomban reiterated that preparations continue to be finalized, including several seminars on conservation of nature in Indonesia that have been held and activities to clean up the environment, especially at locations that become natural tourist attractions visited by several tourists.

In the meantime, Bitung city administration secretary Audy Pangemanan remarked that Bitung City will host HKAN of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

To demonstrate the readiness of Bitung City, as the host for the implementation of HKAN 2018, the secretary of Bitung City and his entourage were invited by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to attend an evaluation meeting on Wednesday.

At the meeting, Pangemanan shed light on Bitung City`s readiness in welcoming the national event, which Indonesian President Joko Widodo had planned to attend in August 2018.

"All supporting facilities and infrastructure will have been completed by at least two days before the event," Pangemanan noted.

On the occasion, the meeting`s participants were impressed when Pangemanan spoke about Bitung City having stopped the use of plastic for a year.

"For the packaging of food and beverage items, we no longer use plastic packaging. Our program also contributes to the success of the program of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry," he noted.

The ranks of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Head of the North Sulawesi Provincial Environment and Forestry Office, and other Bitung City government officials were also present at this meeting.

Reporting by Nancy Lynda Tigauw

Reporter: Antara
Editor: Otniel Tamindael
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