By: Natalia Trita Agnika

That afternoon (08/09) the weather was cloudy, but a group of people seemed excited to plant trees on the edge of Telaga Saat (Upper Ciliwung Sub Watershed), Cisarua, West Java. They were representatives of a company that was conducting a tree planting ceremony for the NEWtrees program with WWF-Indonesia. Among them, there was a man who occasionally provided assistance and directed the participants on how to plant trees. The man is Rudi Sanjaya, the head of Kaliwung Kalimuncar Farmer Group, WWF-Indonesia's partner in the Upper Ciliwung Sub-watershed who is involved in the MyBabyTree and NEWtrees programs.

The Kaliwung Kalimuncar group has partnered with WWF-Indonesia since 2009. "We prepare tree seedlings, field preparation, planting, and once every three months we do tree maintenance," explained Rudi Sanjaya. The maintenance includes land clearing, plant cleaning, replacing dead plants, and fertilizing. Every six months, they also take photos of tree growth and record the coordinates of the trees to geotag so that the trees can be viewed through Google Earth.

Besides Rudi, a member of the Kaliwung Kalimuncar Group, Dedi Damhudi, was also seen in the middle of the planting activity. Dedi said that his involvement in nature conservation activities, especially in the Upper Ciliwung region, was due to his father. "My father used to be a forest encroacher who (finally) realized, or you could say realized. He used to be a logger. But from 1985, he started planting trees and brought me into the forest, planting trees independently," he recalls. His father, who turned into an environmental activist, passed on the positivity to Dedi since he was a child.

Now, Dedi, who is a Community Self-Help Forestry Extensionist, often socializes with the community about the importance of planting trees. Together with Rudi Sanjaya and 20 members of Kaliwung Kalimuncar, they conduct tree nursery and planting activities. "Kaliwung is named because we are located in the upstream of Ciliwung River. While Kalimuncar is because the Ciliwung River passes through Pondok Caringin (the name of the local area -Red)," explained Rudi Sanjaya about the origin of the name of their farmer group that was established in 1997. Previously, the farmer group had been formed since 1985 under the name Sukasirna.

From year to year, Rudi and Dedi see the development of awareness of the Upper Ciliwung community in a better direction. "As a Community Self-Help Forestry Instructor, I socialize to the community that planting trees is important. Now, it's even the local people who ask for planting because they have felt the results," said Dedi.

Yes, tree planting in the MyBabyTree program is not just a tree planting program, but provides more positive impacts. Some types of trees planted in Upper Ciliwung are jackfruit, avocado, damar, rasamala, and puspa trees. The puspa tree is one of the endemic trees from the West Java forest. While the resin tree can be taken for its sap. Avocado and jackfruit can also provide direct results for the surrounding community. Thus, planting trees through the MyBabyTree program not only provides ecological benefits for the wider community, but also provides economic benefits for the surrounding community.< br />

So far, the public has understood the important reasons for planting trees, but there is one reason that tickles the conscience. Planting trees is an act of charity. "People who plant trees allow them to do charity without realizing it. The planted trees will release oxygen and absorb pollution every day, every moment. That is the charitable act, which may not be realized by the planter," said Dudi Rufendi, WWF-Indonesia Restoration Program Coordinator at a tree planting event.

What was done by the Kaliwung Kalimuncar Group was also done by local community groups who partnered with WWF-Indonesia for the MyBabyTree and NEWtrees programs in other locations. The types of trees planted are also adjusted to the planting location.

Let's contribute to environmental conservation, community empowerment, and get involved in creating a sustainable life through tree planting in the MyBabyTree program!