Enviro News Asia, Bengkulu – The Ministry of Forestry has partnered with Universitas Muhammadiyah Bengkulu (UMB) to strengthen the role of higher education institutions in sustainable forest management.
The collaboration was formalized through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Secretary General of the Ministry of Forestry and the Rector of UMB, held at the Hassan Dien Building on the UMB campus in Bengkulu.
The MoU covers collaboration in the fields of education, research, assessment, community service, technology transfer, data and information exchange, and the facilitation of educational forests, also known as Special Purpose Forest Areas (KHDTK).
This educational forest will serve as a natural laboratory for the UMB academic community.
UMB Rector Susiyanto stated that following the MoU signing, a cooperation agreement will be prepared with ten villages surrounding the KHDTK. Further collaboration will also be established with the regional governments of Central Bengkulu and Kepahiang Regencies for the conservation and management of the KHDTK.
In his remarks, Governor Helmi Hasan emphasized the Bengkulu Provincial Government’s commitment to positioning the province as a conservation-oriented region. Bengkulu is expected to become a national model for education-based environmental management.
The local government will focus on preventing forest encroachment by promoting coffee cultivation among communities living near forest areas.
“This KHDTK will reinforce Bengkulu’s status as a conservation province. Thank you to the Minister of Forestry and his team for their outstanding support,” Governor Helmi stated in his official release.
In his address, Minister of Forestry Raja Antoni reiterated that the Ministry encourages public participation in forest area management, including through KHDTK and social forestry programs.
This historic moment carried even more significance as it took place at the Hassan Dien Building, a landmark not only of the UMB campus but also of historical value. Hassan Dien was the father of Fatmawati, the seamstress of Indonesia’s first red-and-white national flag.
In the lead-up to Indonesia’s 80th Independence Day, this collaboration symbolizes the continuity of national spirit through knowledge and sustainable forest stewardship.
The event concluded with a ceremonial tree planting on the UMB campus grounds, joined by the Minister of Forestry, the Governor of Bengkulu, the UMB Rector, local leaders, and UMB students. (*)
