“Who among you has ever been to a forest?” This provocative question was posed by Rezal Kusumaatmadja, Chief Operation Officer (COO) of PT Rimba Makmur Utama (RMU), to the President University (Presuniv) students who were sitting in a U-shaped formation. Rezal, along with the discussion moderator, Muhammad Sigit Andhi Rahman Ph.D., stood among the students.
Sigit is a lecturer in the International Relations Study Program, Faculty of Humanities, at President University. The study program organized the guest lecture titled “Pursuing Career and Entrepreneurial Opportunities in the Restoration Economy” on Thursday, June 20, 2024.
From all of the students present that morning in the Charles Himawan Auditorium on the 5th floor of the Presuniv campus at Jababeka Education Park, only a few raised their hands. While all the students might be familiar with the concept of a forest, only a few had actually ventured into one.
Rezal then asked another question, “Who among you has ever seen a kantong semar or pitcher plant?” Again, only a small number of students raised their hands, while others exchanged puzzled looks. Some students may not know what a kantong semar is or may have heard about it for the first time. Others might have only seen it in nature documentaries, never experiencing it firsthand in the wild.
Rezal explained that the kantong semar is a carnivorous plant that feeds on insects or other small animals that enter its pitcher-shaped trap. These plants are commonly found in tropical rainforests, especially in lowland areas, peat forests, and even savannas. “The kantong semar is part of the complex forest ecosystem,” he noted.
The Disappearance of Insects
RMU, founded in 2007 by Dharsono Hartono, who is now the CEO, and Rezal Kusumaatmadja as COO, is headquartered in Bogor, West Java. The company focuses on restoring ecosystems, including forest ecosystems. “In the past, some companies were granted concessions to log forests. Trees were cut down, and the wood was sold to be processed into various furniture products. We, at RMU, do the opposite. We are granted concessions not to log forests,” explained Rezal.
According to the company website, in 2013, RMU was initially granted a restoration concession area of 108.225 hectares (now RMU is managing 157,9 thousand hectares areas of peatland forest, or twice the size of Singapore, which is only 73 thousand hectares) in two districts in Central Kalimantan, East Kotawaringin and Katingan.
In Katingan, RMU developed the Katingan Mentaya Project (KMP), a REDD+ project (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). The core concept of REDD+ is that industrialized countries should contribute to reducing carbon emissions through various schemes, one of which is funding developing countries to prevent deforestation and degradation.
Deforestation occurs due to forest logging. Large-scale deforestation or opening of peatlands leads to carbon emissions, which contribute to greenhouse gases and global warming—a phenomenon we are currently experiencing. Preventing forest degradation is essential to preserving biodiversity. If deforestation continues, the number and diversity of flora and fauna will decrease, which is dangerous. “We have already witnessed the near extinction of some animal species,” said Rezal.
Fireflies used to be abundant, but now they are rarely seen, especially in urban areas. Many other insect species are also disappearing. Some young people from Generation Z might never have heard of cicadas, which used to signal the onset of the dry season. The disappearance of insects can potentially lead to disasters for humanity, as insects like cicadas play a crucial role in human life ecosystems.
According to the journal Biological Conservation published in February 2020 and quoted by Kompas, one million animal and plant species on Earth are threatened with extinction, half of which are insects.
Reducing Carbon
In addition to supporting efforts to prevent deforestation and degradation through funding, developed countries’ support for REDD+ can also include technology. Recently, the + in REDD+ has been associated with carbon emissions from forests.
RMU through its pilot project The KMP in Central Kalimantan aims to prevent deforestation and forest degradation, prevent species loss due to habitat destruction, and empower local communities living around the forests.
For example, according to the website, through ecosystem restoration efforts, including reforestation and protecting forests from fires and illegal logging, RMU prevents 7.45 million tons of carbon emissions annually. RMU claims that through KMP, they have prevented greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to over 31.94 million tons of CO2.
Efforts to empower local communities aim to shift their livelihoods from logging or slash-and-burn agriculture to new sources of income. RMU’s website shares stories of individuals like Ardani from Satiruk Village in East Kotawaringin, who transitioned from logging to raising chickens. And, Wahid from Babirah Village, who now crafts coconut shells. Indri and several women and girls from Hantipan Village now produce virgin coconut oil, while Yusan has become a rattan craftsman.
As a business entity, RMU also establishes business units. Rezal noticed that in some KMP areas in Hanaut Island and Teluk Sampit, Central Kalimantan, some farmers had coconut plantations. “Unfortunately, the selling price of coconuts is still low,” said Rezal. Since 2018, RMU has partnered with local NGOs to develop training centers for processing coconuts into coconut sugar, a project they call Mentaya Sweet. RMU also connects farmers to national supply chains and introduces them to micro-financing products.
Restorative and Ecosystem, Not Egosystem
Rezal elaborated on the concept of the restorative economy practiced by RMU. He provided an illustration of a project by PT Alam Siak Lestari (ASL) in Siak Regency, Riau, which collaborates with local communities and was a finalist in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Solve Challenge 2021 under the theme Resilient Ecosystems.
In Siak, peatland fires often cause haze, disrupting aviation services and spreading to neighboring countries like Malaysia and Singapore. Despite government policies to protect peatlands, locals still seek income from these areas by logging and slash-and-burn practices, causing widespread haze.
ASL devised a business model to help the community earn a living while preserving the environment. Since 2020, ASL has taught Siak residents to cultivate snakehead fish on peatlands. The fish are sold to ASL, which processes them into three products: snakehead fish albumin extract, fish meat flour, and organic fertilizer from the heads and tails.
This method encourages Siak residents to keep peatlands wet and irrigated, as dry peatlands cannot sustain snakehead fish cultivation. If demand for albumin rises, the need for snakehead fish will also increase, leading to more peatland restoration for fish farming. The broader the area used for snakehead fish cultivation, the more peatland is restored, reducing the risk of peatland fires. This is the concept of a restorative economy.
This is the concept that RMU continues to develop in Katingan and Kotawaringin Timur. “We want to nurture the ecosystem, not the egosystem,” emphasized Rezal. By “egosystem,” Rezal refers to human actions that exploit natural resources excessively and irresponsibly. Through these restorative efforts, RMU aims to build a sustainable business and leave a comfortable Earth for future generations. (JB Susetiyo, PR team. Photos: Faisal Rabbani, merdeka.com, katinganmentaya.com and alamsiaklestari.com).