The handover fulfilled the region’s dream of owning a lush urban forest. Pakansari City Forest is, in fact, the first wooded area to be established in Bogor Regency.
“Through the Green Collaboration program, Korindo Group and Foundation are committed to support government efforts that keep our country’s natural environment and our beloved Earth sustainable,” said Robert Seung in his opening speech.
This green space was actually a part of the regency government’s masterplan, but for several reasons, its construction was put on hold.
The project only saw the light in November 2019, when Korindo Foundation agreed to help out with the development.
And that’s how the commitment to revitalize the land outside Pakansari Stadium began. Starting with 1,294 Eucalyptus deglupta saplings, the Foundation kept planting until a total of 1,800 trees were reached, adorning a two-hectare area that’s sectioned into six planting zones.
For the next step, tree and land maintenance, local residents were given a chance to participate. Together with the Foundation, they conducted regular plant care that involved cutting weeds, cleaning up fallen branches, and pulling tangled weeds.
“After three years, I think we can all see how these seeds we planted have very much thrived and grown so large, making this place greener and much more pleasant to the eye. And from this forest, we can enjoy cleaner and fresher air.” said Robert Seung.
But the road to get there wasn’t always smooth. After the first planting phase, 35% of the saplings died from various reasons like unsuitable soil types, heavy rain, and even flooding. Yet all this did not weigh the Foundation down – with determination and persistence, it focused on repairing the damaged plants until the whole area could sustain itself again.
Following the handover ceremony, the baton of management is officially passed to the government. Through its Environmental Service, it has prepared plans to add more plant varieties to the City Forest, build boundaries around its perimeter, design new concepts, and establish targets for the next few years.
Considered as one of the government’s strategic greening programs, Pakansari City Forest can’t be separated from Article 29 Section 2 of the Spatial Planning Law (Law 26/2007), which requires at least 30% of the city area to be allocated for open green spaces.
Its central role as a balancer between nature preservation and regional development was also acknowledged by the Bogor regent. In his statement, Setiawan said the forest offset harmful effects from industrial and housing development projects in Cibinong, one of Bogor Regency’s most densely-populated regions.
“Most of our people live in Cibinong, Gunung Putri, Citeureup, Sukaraja, and Bojonggede, so it is vital that we pay attention to their air quality. Our next planting programs will be concentrated on these areas to counteract effects from industrial and residential developments.”
He also instructed local officials to continue taking care of City Forest and maintain its beauty.
“We need to keep it free from waste. The City Forest might look beautiful now, but it can get dirty pretty quickly if we let it. If needed, we can work with the locals to make it prettier. Again, we thank Korindo Foundation and the Environmental and Social Responsibility team for making the Green Collaboration program possible in Pakansari,” Setiawan concluded.
Reporter: PR Wire
Editor: PR Wire
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