Environmental Study for "Forest City" Awaited

KOMPAS/SUCIPTO

A truck passes on the Samboja-Sepaku highway in Samboja district, Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, Monday (26/8/2019). This location is on the border between North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara, which will be the location of the new national capital.

BALIKPAPAN, KOMPAS — The construction of the country’s future capital in the East Kalimantan regencies of Penajam Paser Utara and Kutai Kartanegara will be based on a forest city concept. Various groups in the designated location of the new city are waiting for details on the forest city concept and environmental studies from the central government.

Sepaku district in Penajam Paser Utara is likely to become the location of the palace and government complex. Samboja district and Muara Jawa district in Kutai Kartanegara, which borders the Makassar Strait, will become the defense and security base of the new capital city.

There are a number of conservation areas in Sepaku, Samboja and Muara Jawa, such as protected forests and large forest parks. Sepaku borders on the Bukit Bangkirai Protection Forest to the south, which is connected with the Sungai Wain Protection Forest in Balikpapan. In addition, there is the Bukit Soeharto Forest Park, which covers the regions of Sepaku and Samboja.

In the southern part of Samboja, there is an orangutan rescue and rehabilitation center managed by the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation. The conservation area there supplies the necessities of life for local residents and the city of Balikpapan. The concept of an environment-oriented capital city should convince the public that development will not interfere with the natural balance or the existing ecosystem.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

A port crossing of North Penajam Paser regency, East Kalimantan, Thursday (29/8/2019) is the entrance by sea from Balikpapan. North Penajam Paser and Samboja will be part of the new capital as determined by President Joko Widodo.

National Development Planning Minister/ National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) head Bambang Brodjonegoro said during a visit to the Kompas editorial office on Wednesday that his office had a complete study on the relocation of the country\'s capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan, covering both environmental and sociocultural aspects. The development of a new capital city was based on the concept of a city in the forest.

"Not urban forest. So, one of [the aspects] is how to make green open space in the form of forests, trees in the city. The building work must also be based on a green design, both in terms of energy and plants that will be allowed to grow," said Bambang. He also emphasized that the government was committed not to disturb conservation areas. In fact, damaged conservation areas, such as in Bukit Soeharto, would be rehabilitated.

Agusdin, the manager of the Pro Natura Foundation, which is the government\'s partner in managing the Sungai Wain Protection Forest, is concerned that the development of the new capital will threaten the surrounding conservation area.

"Do not, for example, damage the Wain River, which is a source of water for Pertamina and the city of Balikpapan," he said, Friday. The water from Wain River was needed by Pertamina for processing oil at the Balikpapan refinery complex, which supplies fuel for Kalimantan and eastern Indonesia.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Orangutans play at the Samboja Lestari Orangutan Rehabilitation Center complex managed by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation in Margo Mulyo village, Samboja district, Kutai Kartanegara regency, East Kalimantan, Friday (30/08/2019). Currently there are 127 rehabilitated orangutans at this location. The rehabilitation center is located on a 1,800-hectare plot of land of the Kehjesewen Forest, East Kutai regency. Each primate goes through a number of stages before being released, namely rehabilitation on man-made islands, release islands, forest level I and forest level II schools. Moreover, there are also special care unit facilities for orangutans that are suffering from infectious diseases. If the capital is moved to the area, it is feared that it will disrupt the orangutan rehabilitation process that requires natural conditions.

In addition, nearly 680,000 Balikpapan residents also depend on water from the Wain River basin. As for Samboja, there is the Samboja Lestari conservation area managed by the BOS Foundation or BOSF. The foundation has rehabilitated 127 orangutans in a 1,800-hectare green area.

Samboja Lestari communication staff member Nur Isnaini said the construction of the new capital was also feared to harm orangutan conservation efforts. "Noisy areas are not good for orangutan rehabilitation," he said. Previously, the head of the social and political economy of forestry laboratory at the Forestry Faculty of Mulawarman University in Samarinda, Bernaulus Saragih, said massive construction would have an environmental impact on Bukit Soeharto.

The area was a place for conserving many types of trees such meranti, keruing, mahang, mengungan, ara, medang, lime and hardwood trees, he said, adding that orangutans, sun bears, porcupines and clouded leopards also lived in the area.

"Bukit Soeharto contributes to research for education and to biodiversity protection. If the area is not well protected, misuse of the forest could cause disasters, such as landslides and floods," he said.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

A dam, which was built by state oil and gas company Pertamina in Sungai Wain Protection Forest in Karang Joang village, Balikpapan district in Balikpapan city, East Kalimantan, relies on water from the Wain River. The Wain River Protection Forest that covers an area of 11,000 hectares functions as a water catchment area, used to supply water for Balikpapan people and Pertamina\'s oil processing. This forest also functions as a protected wildlife habitat for honey bears, gibbons, orangutans, leopards, wild cats, hornbills and pangolin. This area is located in the border between Kutai Kartanegara and North Penajam Paser, which will be used as the location of the new capital.

The system and strategy division undersecretary at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, Bernadus Wisnu Widjaja, noted that the magnitude of the threat of disasters in the location of the new capital city hinged on spatial planning based on disaster risk. This would also need to be balanced with public awareness on environmental preservation. (CIP/BRO/NCA/BOW/FRD/ERK)