The role of young peoples is required to protect forests as the habitat of biodiversity and human life supporter. Forests do not only support the nearest life but also urban people living far from the forests.
Inspired by the notion, EcoNusa through EcoDefender in collaboration with the Central Jakarta’s Food, Maritime, and Agriculture Security Office (Sudin KPKP), Muhammadiyah Green Cadre, Jakarta Association of Muhammadiyah Students held a “Momotoa Goes to School” event at SMA Muhammadiyah 14 Jakarta on 10 June 2022.
“The event is very good, and I give full support for it because it goes along with religious teaching. It teaches students on the importance of taking care of environment,” said Sutarmono, the School Principal of SMA Muhammadiyah 14 Jakarta.
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Momotoa Goes to School is a green education program to schools ranging from elementary to university levels. With this program, youngsters are expectedly to have more understanding and concern with climate crisis. They are expected to take parts in action to defend the nature in eastern Indonesia while creating a better future of the earth.
In the event in Jakarta here, the students got materials presentation on climate crisis threat, impact, and forests affluence in eastern Indonesia, particularly in Tanah Papua and Maluku Island.
Forests in eastern Indonesia are the remaining frontier of natural forests in Indonesia to cope with climate crisis. The data of Statistics Indonesia (BPS) 2020 shows that forest cover in Tanah Papua is 34.4 million hectares and in Maluku islands 5.09 million hectares. If compared to the forest covers of other major islands in Indonesia, such as Kalimantan, Sumatera, and Sulawesi, Tanah Papua has the top forest cover.
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Human activity particularly the urban living unintentionally has triggered perils to nature, including the eastern Indonesia forests. Some risks here include the forest use change which causes ecosystem disharmony. The loss of forests has accelerated climate change that leads to various disasters to human. The mounting earth temperature, rising sea level, have caused extreme weather and natural disasters. Such a condition disrupts food security which leads to economic and social disruption.
For the reason, with Momotoa Goes to School, EcoNusa jointly with EcoDefender intends to mainstream the green issues among young people to raise their concern and awareness to prevent the climate change impact from being worse. The activity has positive welcome from the students of SMA Muhammadiyah 14 Jakarta.
“The event is so cool because it taught us on how young people take parts in defending forests. It opens our eyes and enhance our knowledge on the eastern Indonesia nature,” said Mukhlas Innasir, one of the students.
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They did not only get knowledge on green issues, more than 50 students of X and XI grades got other lessons on how to garden with hydroponic method by the Central Jakarta’s Food, Maritime, and Agriculture Security Office. Irma Malini, representative of the Office, told the students on how to sow spinach, water spinach, and mustard seeds using rockwool as the planting media. Rockwool is sound resistance substance from light mineral fiber and also planting media for hydroponic growers.
As to Sutarmono, raising sensitivity and concerns with nature among young people from earlier stage is crucial when we feel the real impact of climate crisis. Education is one of the major keys to define the future of nature and human life. As an individual, it is wise that we could hardly stop learning and sharing positivity to the surrounding neighborhood. We try together to assure a better condition of earth for the sake of people’s welfare and nature.
“Hopefully, it is not only once, but continuous, so that the students could fulfil their passions as their aspirations,” said Sutarmono.
Editor: Leo Wahyudi
