Director of Forest Rehabilitation at the LHK Ministry Nikolas Nugrojo Surjobasuindro stated on Wednesday that the government is aiming to encourage school and college students to participate in tree planting activities through scout activities and the Green Ambassador Program.
"Our goal is to build stronger awareness (of the environment) among youngsters, considering that we will face even tougher challenges related to climate change in the future," he stated after a tree seedling planting activity in North Minahasa, North Sulawesi Province.
The official emphasized that members of the younger generations will play a role as the country's spearheads in the efforts to protect the environment, noting that they can contribute to the efforts by planting trees.
He also highlighted that Indonesia needs to work along with other countries to deal with climate change. He noted that domestically, all elements of Indonesian society need to take collaborative actions to achieve concrete results.
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"We are encouraging young people (to plant trees), as we believe that they can invite a broader population to do the same. Indonesia needs our commitment to taking collective measures for protecting the environment," he stated.
Meanwhile, Queency Alou, a local young environmental activist, expressed optimism that by planting mangrove trees, people would contribute to the preservation of Indonesia's marine ecosystem.
"Planting trees means preserving biodiversity. That is the very belief that drove me to participate in mangrove planting activities," Alou remarked.
The young activist, currently a high school student, has been a participant of the LHK Ministry's Green Youth Movement Program since August last year.
Green Youth Movement is a program that aims to edify Indonesian youngsters on the basic values of environmental movements.
Related news: Ministry intensifies tree planting to anticipate climate change
Translator: Sugiharto P, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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