Almost three years after announcing it, the Indonesian government is moving ahead with its plans to relocate the nation’s capital to the dense but dwindling jungles of East Kalimantan province.
That is, about 1,175 kilometers away from sinking, overcrowded Jakarta to a new “forest capital,” as President Joko Widodo calls it, in Borneo’s hilly hinterland.
With the move now enshrined in law, work on Nusantara may begin this year, while relocation will start in 2024.
The euphoria of this plan, there is also a big worry since Borneo is one of the two places in this world where orangutans live in the wild habitat.” The UN says humans are driving the orangutan to extinction. Without a “transformative change” in human behavior, the critically endangered animal could be extinct within a few decades, it warns.
Read also East Kalimantan Indonesia Becomes the Host of OIC-CA 2023
Officials have taken action to decrease worries about the new capital’s effect on the environment.
According to the Indonesian government, the $32 billion megaproject would not disturb any protected forests.
The president assured the media that it would be “a smart city, with green technologies and favorable to the environment.”
The administration is now eager to attract investors and tourists from abroad with the new capital. However, they also realize the value of ecotourism and the fact that the majority of tourists come to witness the animals.
The forest reserves that surround Nusantara will be crucial to maintaining conservation efforts and sustainability.
Everything depends on the mitigation strategy and any potential ecological effects of the move. They will work diligently to protect the Bornean orangutans and their environment. (hoyoskitchen.com)
