The Environment and Forestry Ministry will build a vast nursery to expedite the rehabilitation of forests and land in West Kalimantan, an official has said.
West Kalimantan already has two nurseries of a small capacity: one in Pontianak, with a production of 750 thousand stems per year, and another in Melawi district, which produces 250 thousand stems per year, acting director general of watershed management and forest rehabilitation at the Environment and Forestry Ministry, Dyah Murtiningsih, said in a written statement.
“This rate is still not sufficient for the expedition of forest and land rehabilitation in West Kalimantan. The purpose of the nursery development is to meet the need for seeds in terms of forest and land rehabilitation in West Kalimantan province,” Murtiningsih explained.
In a written statement issued on December 8, 2021, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya had said that a vast nursery will be built in West Kalimantan, she noted.
It would be able to produce 10 million seedlings per year for forest and land rehabilitation purposes in West Kalimantan, especially Kapuas Watershed, she added.
Nurbaya said the development of the nursery would be possible through public-private partnerships, with the private sector participating directly in environmental restoration efforts.
Murtiningsih emphasized that quality seeds from nurseries are an important component for rehabilitating forests and critical land in the watershed area to increase the carrying capacity of the watershed as a life support system.
“In some watershed areas, forest and land cover that is still good can reduce the rate of surface run-off, store water, and drain it during a dry season, and other ecological functions as a support for the ecosystem,” she added.
Source: Antara News