"Today, as many as 50 thousand seedlings have been prepared, maybe around 200–300 hectares of land can be reforested," Antoni said on Saturday.
According to the minister, the Forestry Ministry and the provincial government of West Java are committed to continuing reforestation efforts, particularly in the upstream area of the Ciliwung river basin.
"We will continue to reforest. Hopefully, everything will be maintained as a consistent effort, not only carried out after a disaster happens," he said.
Governor Dedi Mulyadi emphasized that planting trees is among the basic obligations of every human being on Earth, including the people of West Java.
"West Java adheres to the teachings of the tree ideology. Trees are the source of life, as the Sundanese have their saying that the entire ecosystem must be protected," he stated.
According to Mulyadi, the hydrometeorological disasters recorded in parts of West Java in early March 2025 were a warning for the community to pay more attention to the environment.
"We need to start the ecological conversion, meaning that today's repentance makes us aware to dare to take big actions, to open the pores of the soil from various buildings and concrete. This is a policy that we will continue to carry out," he added.
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Translator: M. Fikri Setiawan, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Arie Novarina
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