Iswahyudi
The ongoing common phenomenon in Indonesia (the world's lungs) has been the clearing of forests for human well-being and life. Forests are indeed rich in wood, with economic value akin to gold. This tempts rulers, businessmen, and selfish individuals with narrow mindsets to chase short-term massive profits, but it reaps disaster for all life around them. Often, the impacts of this destruction are disproportionate to the economic gains. Purwo Harsono (56) does not embrace this destructive mindset towards forests. Instead, he chooses to work with a community that shares the same awareness of the vital function of forests for life's sustainability. Notowono is the cooperative he founded with other forest conservation activists to realize the mission of protecting the forest without sacrificing its economic and social functions. The forest must remain preserved, while the community should prosper. Purwo's approach involves turning pine forests into tourist attractions that impact economic prosperity and social harmony.
"Caring for the forest means caring for life," this is Purwo Harsono's belief. This belief drives him to accompany the community in pioneering tourism activities in the Mangunan Pine Forest area, Bantul. Thanks to their efforts since 2014, the area has become a tourist selfie spot, attracting millions of visitors to various tourist attractions there each year. Purwo's adeptness in eco-tourism development has generated a multiplier effect, resulting in over 400 new businesses emerging there.
How did this success story begin?
The forest managers in Mangunan saw the tourism potential there, and Purwo was asked to communicate this to stakeholders, especially DIY Governor Sri Sultan Hemengkubuwono X.
"I was asked to represent the FMD [Forest Management Unit] to convey the desire to develop tourism. I didn't really understand what tourism was, but I agreed to the request," he said.
To his surprise, Sri Sultan HB X visited Mangunan to provide financial assistance. Purwo, representing the forest farmer group, expressed their desire to open a tourist spot.
"Turns out, Ngarsa Dalem supported it. He even asked to be taken to one of the places I mentioned earlier. After the event, I took him to the lake below the pine forest while telling him about the tourism potential here," he explained.
However, after some time, the eco-tourism concept remained unfinished. He became more proactive when he contacted several DIY officials who stated that Ngarsa Dalem's support for the idea of realizing eco-tourism in the Mangunan pine forest should not be interpreted as a governor's order but should be seen as the King's Command. This statement motivated him to finalize his eco-tourism concept.
His first step was to develop the Kaki Langit Tourism Village in Mangunan. Initially, few locals were motivated to help. He struggled to gather young people there to support the initiative. Finally, he approached community leaders, and 17 young people joined in establishing the tourism village. They named it the Ilalang Youth Group, involved in outbound activities in the tourism village. The Kaki Langit Tourism Village concept still exists today. In 2021, this tourism village received the Indonesian Tourism Village Award 2021. Subsequently, Purwo and his team pioneered eco-tourism that synergizes with the tourism village concept. They created tour packages consisting of homestay accommodations, cultural entertainment in the tourism village, and travel packages in the forest area using tourism jeeps.
Despite the increasing profitability of this tourism venture, his commitment to preserving the forest remains unwavering. They have not felled any trees in the pine forest. When constructing buildings, they choose areas on rocks or marginal land. In areas identified as water sources, such as rocky valleys, they plant gayam trees. This has led to the emergence of many new springs. Besides environmental care, he also educates the surrounding community to continue preserving the forest by understanding its functions.
Purwo realizes that many people still do not understand the importance of the forest as an oxygen source that supports life.
"We explain how the forest becomes another living space, like flora and fauna, which ultimately creates a synergistic relationship between the community and the forest itself. So when the forest is destroyed, water sources automatically disappear, and other benefits are lost," said Purwo, as reported by harianjogja.com (03/14/2022).
Purwo's dedication to the forest and sustainability earned him the 2021 Kalpataru Award in the Environmental Pioneer category. However, for him, this is not the finish line but a greater responsibility.
"We didn't expect to receive the Kalpataru Award because this is indeed a form of responsibility, and we already understand the function and benefits of the forest when entering it for management," he said.
"What I do is not for competition or anything. Because I have been providing support long before the Kalpataru evaluation... In the future, I will educate the community about the dangers of illegal logging. Because in Mangunan, for every tree felled or harvested, two trees must be planted," said Purwo Harsono.
This Kalpataru Award is because Purwo has successfully realized the forest's functions as ecological, economic, and social functions. He states that the forest itself is a part of life and like our home, it must be cared for. If the forest is damaged, it becomes unattractive to visit. Purwo has successfully turned the forest's function into the world's lungs and provided job opportunities for local residents, making them prosperous.
How could they not be prosperous? After the Notowono Cooperative signed a memorandum of understanding with the DIY Regional Government on January 31, 2017, granting them the right to manage a 30.41-hectare forest area from the 570.7-hectare Mangunan FMD. In that area, there are currently over 10 tourist attractions administratively located in three villages in the Dlingo District, namely Mangunan, Muntuk, and Terong. Among them are Pinus Pengger, Puncak Becici, Rumah Literasi, Lintang Sewu, Pintu Langit, Pinus Asri, Pinus Sari, Seribu Batu, Bukit Panguk, and Bukit Mojo. Starting in 2017, tourist attractions in the Mangunan pine forest area went viral and became popular tourist destinations.
In 2017, the number of visitors to the Mangunan pine forest area reached 2 million people per year, 2.7 million people in 2018, and 2.4 million in 2019. With such a large number of visitors, the income generated from tourism activities in Mangunan is substantial. What's heartening is that the income from tourism activities in Mangunan is distributed among several parties, with 25% going to the DIY Regional Government, 70% for community empowerment, and 5% for the Notowono Cooperative. Why such a large portion for the community? Because it's all about making the community more prosperous.
"This scheme was made because Sultan HB X emphasized prioritizing community welfare. So, the largest fund is used for community welfare," said the man born in Bantul on March 1, 1967, a graduate of Sarjanawiyata Taman Siswa University in Agriculture and Janabadra University