“I handed over the Special Purpose Forest Area (KHDTK) Decree, in which the Forest Ministry grants the Muhammadiyah University of Bengkulu management rights for approximately 1,992 hectares,” Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni announced in Bengkulu on Monday.
He said that the university can use the forest for research and investigation.
In addition, the UMB’s management is expected to increase the value of the forest area, he added.
“It can also be used to plant agroforestry, which can also generate an income for the university,” he said.
The UMB is not the first university assigned the task of forest management, he informed.
“We have provided this to various universities, including IPB and UGM. There was a previously barren area in Gunung Kidul, which was then managed by Gajah Mada University, and it has since become very green. This is part of the KHDTK program,” he said.
Bengkulu Governor Helmi Hasan expressed his full support for the collaboration between the UMB and the Forestry Ministry in managing the KHDTK.
He emphasized that the Bengkulu provincial government is committed to making the region a conservation province that can serve as a national model for education-based environmental management.
“The KHDTK will strengthen Bengkulu’s position as a conservation province. In fact, according to reports, our air is the cleanest in Indonesia,” he said.
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Translator: Boyke Ledy Watra, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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