Jakarta—Environmental degradation, including forests one was human responsibility. It was written in the Al-Quran, thus it is people who had to work together to save what Allah had bestowed on his people.

 This was conveyed by Din Syamsuddin, the General Chairman of Muhammadiyah, in his speech at the discussion of Forest and Land Governance in Indonesia organized by the Public Empowerment Council and Environment Council of Central Executive of Muhammadiyah in the Auditorium of Da’wah Building, Jl. Menteng 62, Central Jakarta, on Thursday (22/1). Din added that the damage on the earth was not only the absence of war but also of peace on people and nature. "I hope Muhammadiyah through PublicEmpowerment Council and the Environment Council may make recommendations through a book containing reconstruction for Indonesia in environmental issues," he explained.

According to Said Tuhulely, the chief of Public Empowerment Council of Muhammadiyah, the Public Empowerment Council and Environment Council was currently doing a little research on three areas in Indonesia, namely East Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, and South Sumatra. "From the field observation, many public fields were displaced by large corporations, which in turn put the people around just as a worker and no longer have land," he explained.

Meanwhile, in his presentation, Tachrir Fathoni, the Head of Human Resources Development of Ministry of Forestry and Environment of Indonesia, explained that the current rate of deforestation in Indonesia had almost reached one million hectares annually, with only about 120 million hectares lived. According to Tachrir, it was obviously very alarming, and it took efforts through technology and also the awareness to make the forest sustained.

In the discussion Forest Governance by the Public Empowerment Council and Environment Council of Muhammadiyah, there were also handed prizes to the winner of the photo contest Muhammadiyah Initiative on Strengthening Environmental Governance Policy Advocacy Forests in Indonesia. The winner of this Photo Contest with the theme of the forest destruction won by Henry Wahjudianto domiciled in Malang, East Java. (mac)

Tags: muhammadiyah, governance, land, forests, deforestation, forestry.