A trekking event involving over 2,800 participants planted at least 3,000 seedlings in Pusuk forest, West Lombok, to improve people's awareness on the importance of preserving the environment.

Participants included high-school students, civil servants, police and military personnel, tourism businesspeople, NGO activists and the general public. Six environmental activists from Japan also took part in the event.

Speaking after officially opening the event at the Pusuk Pass tourist resort on Wednesday, West Lombok Regent Zaini Arony said the annual event was held as parts of the regency's 52nd-anniversary celebrations.
"People everywhere should take part [in forest preservation] and start planting trees," Zaini told The Jakarta Post.

From a tourism point of view, he said forest trekking could also become an activity to promote the lush Pusuk Pass as a tourist attraction.

The trek covered an 8-kilometer route starting at Pusuk Pass in Gunungsari district, passing through Pusuk Forest and ending at Batu Bolong resort near Senggigi, Batulayar. It took about two hours all up.

Participants were grouped in a teams of five and were obliged to carry seedlings to plant along the way.

West Lombok Forestry and Plantation Agency head Lalu Syaiful Arufin said the seedlings were of productive trees such as durian and jackfruit. They were supposed to be planted under Pusuk's endemic trees.

"That way local communities can also enjoy harvests," he said.

Lalu said West Lombok has some 37,000 hectares of forest, 16,000 hectares of which are in a critical condition. Pusuk, a resort area known for its green views, is among those areas still well preserved.

He said the tree planting event held by the trekking participants would be effective in helping reforestation in the region. The regency administration would not be able to handle the critical regions alone, he added.

"We have a limited budget. We're only capable of reforesting some 2,000 hectares of forest a year. Programs like this help accelerate reforestation efforts," he said.

Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, West Lombok