By: Ciptanti Putri

WWF-Indonesia is joining the exhibition on the forestry industry in Indonesia by promoting the NEWtrees program. The three-day exhibition was organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry at Manggala Wanabhakti Building, Jakarta, to celebrate the 2014 Indonesian Tree Planting Day (HMPI) which falls on November 12, 2014. The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held last Wednesday (12/11), attended by the Secretary General of the Ministry and his staff, with guests a number of representatives from various government agencies and industry players related to forest issues.

After the opening ceremony, the Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya, took the time to visit several booths, including the NEWtrees booth managed by WWF-Indonesia. On that occasion, WWF-Indonesia's Marketing Director, Devy Suradji, explained the achievement of reforestation efforts on a number of critical lands in Indonesia whose implementation was financed by corporate partners. While listening to the explanation, the Minister of Environment and Forestry paid attention to the photos documenting the NEWtrees program. At the end of the visit, Siti Nurbaya expressed her appreciation for the conservation work carried out by WWF-Indonesia and hoped that the NEWtrees program can continue to be supported by businesses in Indonesia and internationally.

Responding to the Minister's appreciation, Devy said, "We hope that with the opening of NEWtrees in public areas, especially within the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, more corporations will be moved to help plant trees. NEWtrees is important to support because the targeted areas are conservation areas that are key to the sustainability of ecosystems and biodiversity."

Dudi Rufendi, NEWtrees Program Coordinator of WWF-Indonesia, revealed that the presence of the NEWtrees booth is proof of its commitment in partnership with the government and opens opportunities for corporations who care about helping tree planting efforts in critical lands. "For three days, a number of documentation from the NEWtrees cooperation that has been carried out with corporate partners will be exhibited. There will also be a 'NEWtrees Clinic', an information center for those who want to know more about the NEWtrees program. Representatives from corporations can register for this session, and then they can attend presentations and explanations about the program and how to contribute. Not only limited to NEWtrees, the booth also showcased documentation of some of WWF-Indonesia's overall conservation work achievements, in the form of books, films, photos, and reports in various mass media."

For individual visitors, Dudi continued, can follow the simulation of calculating monthly paper consumption. At the end of the simulation, visitors will know how many trees in one year they have to plant in the paper consumption pattern. Visitors can also interact directly with WWF-Indonesia's fundraisers who will explain the various conservation programs that they can support.