A 16-year-old Kiranamulya Budi Arthanti leads a groundbreaking conservation project in the Meratus Mountains, aiming to inspire environmental stewardship and sustainable development through rattan planting.
Kiranamulya Budi Arthanti, a 16-year-old student from SMA Global Jaya School Bintaro, South Tangerang, has taken a significant step in environmental conservation efforts by leading the planting of 6,000 rattan seedlings in the Meratus Mountains, Hinas Kiri Village, Hulu Sungai Tengah, South Kalimantan. This activity is part of the “Kiranamulya’s Rattan For Life Project 2024,” which runs from the 7th to the 14th of July 2024 and is funded by a prize of 3,000 US dollars from an environmental contest organised by the international organisation Baccalaureate in Switzerland.
Local Inspiration and Support
Kiranamulya, who is the great-granddaughter of the late Soedjarwo, the first Minister of Forestry during President Soekarno’s leadership, was inspired to preserve rattan as a valuable natural resource, especially for the furniture industry. In Hinas Kiri Village, she collaborated with the local community, including key figures such as Jiwo Pogog and Kosim, who are also local environmental activists. This activity was supported by the Regional Secretary of Hulu Sungai Tengah Regency, Muhammad Yani, who participated in the planting and provided transportation facilities for the smooth running of the programme.
According to Kiranamulya, planting rattan in this area has a significant positive impact on the environment and indigenous communities around the Meratus Mountains. “If nature is maintained and tourism is better managed, it will certainly provide benefits for the community and local government,” she said. She hopes that this programme can inspire the younger generation to be more active in protecting and loving the environment.
Process and Challenges
Before this project began, Kiranamulya had won an international environmental contest, which gave her financial support to realise the rattan planting programme. In preparing the project, she was assisted by Jiwo Pogog, who is a village empowerment volunteer. The idea for this project originated from her interest in photography and a photo exhibition featuring rattan furniture workers at Pogog’s company.
Kiranamulya is willing to sacrifice her school holidays to carry out this planting activity, seeing it as an opportunity to fill her time with useful activities. “The resources that we have are very important; therefore, we must also protect them,” she said. This activity also encourages nature tourism around the project site, including the beautiful Tumaung Waterfall.
Positive Impacts and Future Hopes
Kosim, an environmental activist in Hulu Sungai Tengah, said that Kiranamulya’s programme can improve the economic standard of living for the local community. Rattan is a natural resource that can be utilised without having to cut down trees, making it an environmentally friendly and sustainable choice. “I am very happy because it will create a new economy and new knowledge for the Meratus community,” said Kosim.
Support from the local government is also very strong. Muhammad Yani, Regional Secretary of Hulu Sungai Tengah, stated that this programme is worthy of being a reference for the younger generation in loving the forest and biodiversity in the Meratus Mountains. “This is a cadre formation that loves the forest, then loves biodiversity in Meratus,” she said.
Kiranamulya hopes that this project will not only be limited to Hinas Kiri Village but can also be expanded to other areas in the future. “I hope that in the future this project will not only be in Hinas Kiri Village but also expand to other areas,” she added.
Motivation for the Young Generation
Kiranamulya’s presence in Meratus with her conservation project provides motivation for the community, especially the younger generation. At the age of only 16, she has pioneered a movement that has a positive impact on the community and the environment. “This is a motivation for the community, especially the younger generation,” said Kosim.
This project not only focuses on planting rattan but also on increasing public awareness of the importance of protecting and preserving the environment. With support from various parties, Kiranamulya is determined to continue developing this initiative and make it a real example for the younger generation throughout Indonesia.