As part of its commitment to sustainable forest management, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has inaugurated a 30-hectare Student Forest located in Block 30 of Ngancar Village, Pitu District, Ngawi Regency, East Java Province, to integrate forestry education with community-based forestry practices.
The Student Forest is expected to empower students to participate actively in forest management.
The students are expected to actively manage a significant portion of the forest under the Special Purpose Forest Area (KHDTK), which is managed by UGM’s Faculty of Forestry.
“This initiative aligns with UGM’s vision to promote education, research, and community engagement in forestry and environmental conservation,” said Dr. Rustamaji, Director of UGM’s Directorate of Community Service (DPKM UGM), in a statement to the press on Sunday, Mar. 2, 2025.
According to Dr. Rustamadji, the Student Forest represents an innovative milestone for UGM, showcasing the university’s commitment to addressing environmental needs.
“Today, we mark the beginning with a tree-planting ceremony, which wouldn’t have been possible without the support of FKT UGM lecturers, residents, and students,” he explained.
He noted that tree planting is just the first step in turning the forest into a living laboratory for education and research.
Lecturers, students, local communities, and other stakeholders are expected to collaborate to manage the forest to provide educational and economic benefits.
“Once again, thank you to all involved, and special thanks to PT MAS, our partner. Let’s work together to preserve this forest,” he added.
Djoko Soeprijadi, Head of the Biomedical Laboratory of FKT UGM and academic advisor, explained that KHDTK is primarily a forestry education and training area.
The educational focus includes local communities, institutions, and especially forestry students and academics.
“KHDTK UGM aims to be a learning platform for sustainable development through forest management. Although we’ve been active here for a while, student involvement has been limited. That’s why we were excited when PT MAS offered environmental conservation and biodiversity funding. I then invited students to participate,” he said.
Moreover, Soeprijadi pointed out that students from other faculties have already made their mark globally. UGM’s Faculty of Engineering (FT UGM) with their Semar Car project and Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA UGM)’s creation of GeNose during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I asked the forestry students if foresters should have the ability to create forests. Since forest management isn’t a short-term task, planting trees is just the beginning, and we need a strong learning platform. That’s why we are involving students directly, so they are not disconnected from the forest or the land,” he explained.
The Student Forest is intended to be a learning model where students can document knowledge, conduct practical work, write theses, and do research.
With the agroforestry-based model, forestry students are expected to collaborate with the Faculty of Agriculture.
“Here, we have coffee, medicinal chili plants, and more that could be jointly developed with the pharmacy students. We hope this integration will lead to mutual learning through nature. For example, from the 11,000 medicinal chili plants currently planted, we expect a harvest next year that could generate an income of 40 to 50 million IDR per month, with profits shared between the community and students,” he explained.
Ita Puspitasari, Head of Ngasinan Hamlet, Ngancar Village, expressed her delight with the community’s positive response to the Student Forest program.
She believes the forest will offer economic benefits to Ngasinan residents.
“We can also learn a lot about preserving the forest, as the community depends on it for their livelihood,” she said.
Raymond Adiputra, a student from the Faculty of Forestry, explained that of the 30 hectares managed in Block 30, 8 hectares will be cultivated in the initial phase.
The land will be planted with various tree species, including medicinal chili, coffee, candlenuts, jackfruit, and gamal (Gliricidia sepium).
“This year, the Student Forest aims to plant 18,498 seedlings across the 30-hectare area using an agroforestry scheme with plants that can benefit the local community, such as coffee, jackfruit, candlenut, medicinal chili, and gamal. We hope these plants will improve community welfare,” he added.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Lintang