InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – PT Rimba Harapan Sakti (RHS), the subsidiary of Wilmar Group, did get strong partnership with the people around Kawasan Konservasi Sungai Pukun in Village of Pematang Limau, Regency of Seruyan, Central Kalimantan Province to get environmental conservation around the area.
Sungai Pukun is the vital area of daerah aliran sungai (DAS) Seruyan river that flows around PT RHS concession areas. Extended about 5.359,58 hectares, the areas are taken as high conservation value (HCV) by the experts and most of the areas should be conservation for Pukun river, including river sides and the river’s channels.
Manager HCV PT RHS, Mochammad Dasrial said the key is about to involve the local people to maintain the conservation areas. By having counseling, the people should get understanding that area conservation is important for them and for protected animals in the areas. One concrete thing done is by taking the people to fish by not using toxic, electric machine, trawl. “The partnership between the people and the company helped to maintain the conservation areas,” Dasrial said, as in the official press conference statement to InfoSAWIT, Tuesday (20/2/2024).
Though some people still depend on the conservation areas to survive, such as, getting fish, honey, and rattan, PT RHS proactively encouraged them to maintain the environmental conservation. “The people’s involvement would be about to deliver sense of belonging in the conservation,” Dasrial said.
Many monitoring and identification done by HCV team of PT RHS in 2019-2023 showed that the conservation areas around Pukun river remained well. Natural conservation, water quality, vegetation condition become the successful indicator of the conservation. Field results showed that mammal animals, fishes, birds, reptile, and amphibious animals do live there, including the rare and endemic ones.
The team found 31 kinds of animals. 16 of them are protected by the laws, such as, the Regulation of Minister of Environment and Forestry Number 106 / 2018, such as, proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), honey bear (Helarctos malayanus), ape (Macaca nemestrina), and deer (Muntiacus muntjak).
The forest border around Pukun river is proven as the good habitat for birds within 29 kinds that should be protected and they are easily found in the areas, including the raptor and bush bird.
65 fishes were identified around Pukun river as the direct data and catch from the local fishermen. (T2)
