"By: Natalia Trita Agnika

Mountaineering activities are now common, not only by the nature lovers community. Almost all popular mountains in Indonesia are always crowded with climbers when the holiday season arrives. Climbers flock to the highest peaks. There are various reasons and motivations behind these climbing activities. Some claim to climb mountains because they want to be grateful and enjoy God's creation. Some want to practice discipline, courage, and independence. However, there are also those who simply want to show their strength and existence because they managed to "conquer" the top of the mountain. The different reasons and motivations will bring differences in their attitudes towards the mountain.

Today, December 11 is the anniversary of International Mountain Day. We are reminded of the important role of mountains, both in terms of economy and ecology. Apart from being an adventure destination, mountains have a very important ecological role. These towering forms of the earth's surface are the world's water storage areas, providing fresh water to at least half of the world's population. Mountains also play an important role in influencing regional and global climate and weather conditions.

One of the 127 active volcanoes in Indonesia is Mount Rinjani on Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara. Mount Rinjani dominates the landscape of Lombok Island and covers one third of the total area of Lombok Island. This area is also the main water catchment area of the 4 largest watersheds (Dodokan, Menanga, Putih, and Jelateng). As much as 90% of Lombok Island's water supply comes from the forests of Rinjani and around 3 million people depend on the water supply from Rinjani. The forest also plays an important role in the global carbon cycle as the trees in the forest sequester carbon.

Unfortunately, the green forests of Rinjani are disturbed by irresponsible human actions. Forest fires at the foot of Mount Rinjani some time ago were thought to be due to the actions of climbers or residents who threw cigarette butts carelessly. In addition, based on data from the TNGR Center, forest encroachment in the Gunung Rinjani National Park area is also increasingly alarming.

One of WWF-Indonesia's efforts to reforest TNGR is through the NEWtrees program. This program is WWF-Indonesia's initiative to encourage corporations to assist in the reforestation process to protect protected areas or forest areas. The NEWtrees program not only focuses on reforestation efforts, but also on empowering communities around conservation areas in tree planting, maintenance, and monitoring activities. Thus, the corporation contributes to environmental conservation, community empowerment, and is involved in creating a sustainable life. If your community or company would like to get involved in the "NEWtrees" program, please contact corporate@wwf.or.id for more information.

On this International Mountain Day, let us not only admire the charm of the mountain, but also take concrete actions to protect and green the area.