By: Maya Bellina

Jakarta, 17 October 2012 - PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (BCA) once again shows its support for nature conservation through the NEWtrees reforestation program initiated by WWF-Indonesia. This time BCA will donate thousands of trees in the buffer zone of Ujung Kulon National Park, Pandeglang, Banten. This effort continues BCA's strong commitment to greening Mount Rinjani National Park at the end of 2011.

In line with the theme of the Indonesian Retail Bonds 009 (ORI009) sales in the primary market launched by the Ministry of Finance, "For a Green Indonesia, do it with ORI009", BCA in collaboration with WWF-Indonesia encouraged critical land rehabilitation efforts realized through the planting of 2,750 tree seedlings in an area of 7 hectares in the buffer zone of Ujung Kulon National Park, Pandeglang, Banten. This step is one of the manifestations of support for the declaration of 2012 as the International Rhino Year by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on June 5, 2012.

Of the 19 villages in the buffer zone, 14 are directly adjacent to Ujung Kulon National Park. Supporting these villages to realize effective buffer zone management will therefore go a long way in reducing pressure on Ujung Kulon National Park, a critically important habitat for a rhino population of no more than 50 individuals.

"The rehabilitation of critical land in the buffer zone into productive green areas will not only provide ecological benefits such as improving the hydrological function of the area as a water catchment, but also provide added economic value to the communities around the area. This real action of tree planting is also in line with the spirit of the global community in climate change mitigation efforts and the Indonesian Government's commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 26% by 2020, "said Anwar Purwoto, Director of WWF-Indonesia's Forestry, Freshwater and Species Program.

Meanwhile Herwandi Kuswanto, Head of BCA's Wealth Management Business Unit said, "BCA has continuously made a commitment to support conservation efforts through a donation of Rp 1,000 for every purchase of ORI009 worth Rp 5 million and multiples apply. We donate the proceeds to the NEWtrees program in Ujung Kulon as part of BCA's active participation in preserving nature and supporting conservation efforts for the last habitat of the Javan rhino. Of course, we hope that this assistance will be useful for future generations", he said.

"And we appreciate the strong support that continues to flow from corporate partners in the NEWtrees program initiative so that this harmonious synergy can accelerate significant results for rehabilitation efforts in a number of conservation areas throughout Indonesia, concluded Anwar Purwoto during the symbolic tree seedling handover ceremony.

About PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (as of June 30, 2012)

PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (BCA) is one of the leading banks in Indonesia. BCA has more than 11 million customer accounts served by 955 branches and 9,592 ATMs, as well as more than 100 thousand Electronic Data Capture (EDC) spread throughout Indonesia.
About WWF-Indonesia

WWF Indonesia is a national conservation organization that is part of the WWF global network, the largest and most experienced independent conservation network in the world. WWF-Indonesia is active in 28 fieldwork areas in 17 provinces.

WWF-Indonesia's mission is to save biodiversity and reduce the impact of human activities through: Promoting a strong conservation ethic, awareness and conservation efforts among Indonesians; Facilitating multi-stakeholder efforts for the protection of biodiversity and ecological processes at the ecoregion scale; Advocating for policies, laws and law enforcement that support conservation, and; Promoting conservation for human well-being, through the sustainable use of natural resources.

The NEWTrees program has planted trees in national park areas in Aceh, Riau, South Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, Banten and NTB provinces. Supported by geotags technology, the progress of NEWtrees can be directly monitored via Google Earth and Yahoo Maps. Visit NEWtrees on WWF's website at www.wwf.or.id/newtrees