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Businessmen plant trees to save the planet
Irawaty Wardany , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 09/01/2008 11:04 AM | National
Achmad Kalla (photo above, second left), founder of Yayasan Peduli Hutan Lestari (Foundation for Forest Conservation/YPHL), planted a mahogany tree in the grounds of the Bukaka factory in Cileungsi, Bogor, on Sunday as a symbol of the foundation's concerns over environmental issues.
Member of the foundation's supervisory board Tonny Djayalaksana (left), project consultant for clean development mechanism John Schoenmaeckers (second right) and the foundation's treasurer Otto S. Stamboel (right) witnessed the planting.
The newly established foundation launched its Indonesia Rain Forest Movement, designed to encourage all businesspeople, especially those working in agriculture and mining, to give back to nature by planting trees and looking after the environment.
"Indonesia possesses extensive rain forest and it is our responsibility to preserve it. Today's tree planting demonstrates our efforts as responsible humans who care about rain forest conservation," said Achmad, the younger brother of Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
Achmad said he had planted around one million trees in Poso, Central Sulawesi. His company, Bukaka, is working on a water power plant in the region.
Meanwhile, foundation chairman Erwinaryo said even though Indonesia was one of the few countries with substantial rain forests, in the past few years the country's rain forest had experienced considerable deforestation.
"Up to two million hectares (of forests) per year (are being cut down). Because of this fact, YPHL through its Indonesia Rain Forest Movement aims to preserve our forest for a better Earth," he said.
