UGM has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Indonesian Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) at Conference room of UGM Central Building on Friday (7/27). The MoU contains a memorandum of cooperation between BRG with three faculties and one study center at UGM to address peatland restoration in Riau Province. The three faculties are Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Forestry, and Faculty of Biology, along with Center for Cultural Studies.
Restoration of peatland is a national program addressing the needs that arise from degraded peatland. The program was approved by the President in 2016 with Presidential Regulation No. 1/2016 which also marked the establishment of BRG as an ad hoc under the President directly.
Faculty of Biology research team’s representative, Dr. Eko Agus Suyono, M.App.Sc., asserted the process of peatland restoration does not only target the biotic and abiotic components. “Human components should be involved as well here,” he said. Therefore, the role of Center for Cultural Studies is also important in analyzing socio-anthropological aspects of peatland communities.
Dr. Haris Gunawan, BKG’s Deputy of Research and Development, added that the cooperation becomes one value of UGM. By combining components from both nature and society, UGM will have its own peatland restoration model. “I am looking forward to seeing what the model will be,” he said.
Haris continued, the cooperation with Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Forestry has been done since 2017. Meanwhile, the cooperation with Faculty of Biology and Center for Cultural Studies has just started.
This was confirmed by Prof. Dr. Ir. Jagal Wiseso Marseno, M.Agr., Vice Rector for Education, Learning and Student Affairs UGM. He is proud that UGM can participate in developing sciences for the nation’s progress. ‘I advise the involved researchers to act professional and make UGM proud,” he concluded.