"Mr. President had requested that from all of the 256 thousand hectares of the Nusantara Authority, 70 percent of it should be natural and covered with trees, but now there is only 42 percent, so another 28 percent must be added to green everything," the minister explained.
She made the statement while accompanying President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to inspect the Mentawir Nursery in Penajam Paser Utara district, East Kalimantan on Monday (March 14, 2022).
Furthermore, she explained, 70 percent of the green area, which will cover about 80 thousand hectares, will be completed within two to three years, and the results will be seen in four to five years.
"The concept of Nusantara as a green city will be visible," she remarked.
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry is setting up Mentawir Nursery near the core area of Nusantara, covering an area of 120 hectares, with 32.5 hectares devoted to a nursery area and buildings.
The nursery is being established through cooperation between the ministry, the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, and the private sector. The nursery is expected to produce 15–20 million seedlings per year.
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In the future, millions of seedlings produced in Mentawir Nursery will be brought to Nusantara to be planted on critical lands.
Furthermore, in the next six to seven months, the nursery is expected to produce 15–20 million tree seedlings of kayu nyatoh (hardwood), shorea, kapur, agarwood, and Syzygium. The grown trees thereby will help attract animals and birds.
Earlier, President Joko Widodo had said that the Indonesian government is committed to starting the development of the new capital by rehabilitating the surrounding forests.
"The development of Nusantara will be initiated by rehabilitating the existing forests so that the (green) areas in the capital and its surroundings can return to their original function, which is as tropical forests and not homogeneous monoculture forests," he added.
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Translator: Prisca V, Kenzu T
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
