- A youth group that began out as a rock-climbing team has reached new heights to stop illegal mining of Citatah karst in Indonesia’s West Java Province.
- The karsts limestone is prized for cement production but its destruction has resulted in groundwater depletion and noise pollution, land erosion and animal extinction.
- Last year, Indonesia’s environment ministry recognized the Citatah Karst Care Youth Forum for its efforts in conserving the landscape.
- The forum was established in 2009 and has been involved in public awareness campaigns, helping to build a new geotourism industry, and engaging mining companies to restore and conserve local ecosystems.
Make People Prosper, Recover Citatah Karast. This is the call printed in red on a large white banner that was pinned to a limestone cliff in Indonesia’s West Java Province.
Deden Syarif hidayat, founder of the Citatah Karst Care Youth Forum, said, “We put the banner up so that anyone could see it citizens, climbers, and the government as a way of our campaign,”
The environmental advocacy group works to preserve a limestone-based, karst landscape in four villages of Padalarang subdistrict in West Bandung district. Citatah is just one of the villages.
Deden started his conservation drive because of the unsightly environmental damages in the area: land erosion, noise pollution, air and sound pollution, mountain destruction, groundwater depletion. Unsupervised mining and a confusing number of permits threatened the area.
Deden, 37 years old, works as an Islamic studies instructor at Bandung State Polytechnic.
The Kalpataru Award, which is given by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry to recognize individuals and groups who have contributed to conservation, was awarded to the group last year.
Karst is a limestone terrain that is easily dissolved in rainwater. It can often form ridges and towers, caves, sinkholes, fissures and fissures. This geological phenomenon is attractive to speleologists, who study caves, and is great for cave tourism. Karst is also a reservoir for rainwater that has percolated through limestone. Karsts are also great at reducing climate change because they absorb large amounts of carbon.
The cement industry is threatening many karst landscapes, as it seeks out their mineral content.
Indonesia has approximately 155,000 kilometers (60,000 sq miles) of Karst, but only one-tenth of that area has been damaged. AccordingEko Haryono from the University of Gadjah Mada is a karst specialist. This figure is 20% for Indonesia’s central island Java.
Nine women from the North Kendeng Mountains of Central Java were national stars in 2017. Place their feet in cementProtest outside the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, against plans to build a cement mine and factory.
For years environmental advocates have been trying to get the government regulations to better protect the nation’s karsts. With little success.
Activists like Deden today see a renewed threat for Indonesia’s karsts through the so-called Omnibus Law on Job Creation, which was passed in 2020. It, among other deregulatory actions, also contains the following: This makes it easier to follow the pathMining companies can obtain permits quickly by removing environmental studies requirements.
Deden, a karst protection advocate, has been annoyed by this deregulation.
The central government is responsible for licensing. Mongabay is informed that mining companies can process permits in Jakarta. Local people have difficulty accessing control. Local governments would claim that they don’t know as permits are issued centrally by the government.
Deden is protecting the karst formation in Bandung Basin. This area is believed to have been the site for a prehistoric lake. It is now home to Bandung’s southern suburbs, Indonesia’s fourth-largest.
According to the Bandung Basin Research Group, (KRCB), a group of scientists concerned with the Bandung Institute of Technology, (ITB), around 60% of the 10,000-hectare (24,700-acre) area has been affected by mining. According to the group, there are approximately 100 mining companies operating within the area.
Deden did not need to know complicated statistics to understand that mining was causing damage in the area. Deden was concerned about the supply of fresh water in the area if the karst were not repaired.
Deden established the Citatah Karast Care Youth Forum in 2009. It is also known by its Indonesian acronym FP2KC. It began as a rock climbing group, but soon became involved in protecting the karst. It has organized public awareness campaigns, helped to build a nascent industry in geotourism, and engaged mining companies for the conservation and restoration local ecosystems.
Deden quickly learned that challenging powerful interests was not easy. After meeting with officials from the government and mining executives, which was mediated by local energy and mineral resource agency, Deden received a death threat.
Deden believes that the phone call may have been a fluke. We continued to act, but with more prudence in our field.
After the demonstration by the group in front the West Bandung district legislature in 2012, the district administration issued the regional zoning plans designating the Citatah-karst protected area.
Deden also founded Nature House 125. This number refers to a Citatah karst feature, Cliff 125, which is 125m (410 feet) high. The group was open to local youth, and they were encouraged to join.
He stated that what is important is that there is activity. As a part our existence, we plant trees in every activity.
Deden and the FP2KC received additional support for their conservation efforts via the environment ministry’s climate village program, known ProKlim. This program helps local communities to apply climate adaptation and mitigation strategies.
The group also helped to establish tourism awareness groups under Pokdarwis, which promotes local tourism initiatives.
Gunung Masigit village in West Bandungs Cipatat subdivision was the first to host a Pokdarwis group. Residents were asked to manage a stone garden rock structure that was formed more than 100 millions years ago. In Padalarang Subdistrict, the village of Padalarang took an initiative to encourage former limestone miners into cultivating guava.
He states that only geotourism sites for karst landscapes in cooperation with local authorities are considered safe.
Twelve years after its establishment, the FP2KC was named one of 10 recipients of last year’s Kalpataru Award.
The award is named after the Sanskrit term meaning tree of life. It can be won in four categories: environment pioneer (environment service), environment builder (environment rescuer), and environment pioneer (environment service). The FP2KC was in the category of environment rescuer.
The ministry’s citation to the Citatah Youth Forum stated that its ecological rehabilitation efforts had saved the protected karst (225 acres), safeguarded watersprings, protected biodiversity and increased vegetation coverage. It also noted that the ministry’s air pollution, land erosion, and landslides had been reduced.
The youth forum had a positive impact on the economic front. It opened up new jobs and encouraged farmers to continue their efforts to cultivate agricultural land. Geotourism management also contributed to an increase in local income, the ministry stated.
The Citatah youth forums received a chart of appreciation signed by environment minister, a plaque with gold plating and a 12.5million rupee ($875) building fund.
Deden says that the award should not cause us to swell. We know that our work has not been completed yet and that it is still very minimal.
Continue reading: Iwan Dento is the hero of South Sulawesis Karst Mountains.
Deden keeps track of the groups that are making progress with the business community. He says that miners initially valued limestone only for its potential to extract. Slowly, however, they started to accept the karst range might offer other benefits for locals.
Deden stated that he only collaborates with mining companies who are willing to undertake karst rehab. This includes planting trees and converting abandoned mines to tourism sites.
No matter what kind of collaboration Citatah youth forum may seek to create, the message it has put on the banner will remain. Recover Citatah Karast, Make People Successful. It is the forum mission statement, which is reflected in its signature logo.
Banner imageHighlining, an outdoor activity that supports conservation efforts, is performed in the Karst Citatah, Padalarang West Java. Image by Donny Iqbal/Mongabay
Mongabays Indonesian team reported this version and published it. HereVisit our website Indonesian siteon February 13, 2022.
