Nature enthusiast students of UGM Forestry’s Mapala Silvagama held a ceremony to dispatch the team of Mapala Silvagama 50 National Park Expeditions on Tuesday (7/24) at the faculty’s eastern park.
The team is sent to Matalawa National Park to perform the National Park Expedition themed “Marapu People’s Forest Commander” from July 26 to August 28, 2018.
“Mapala Silvagama 50 National Park Expeditions is a long-term program that has been running since 2014. Manupeu Tanahdaru and Laiwangi Wanggameti National Park or Matalawa, Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, is our 17th and 18th expedition,” said Mapala Silvagama chairman, Gian Alvysco Saragih.
Currently, Mapala Silvagama has completed expeditions in 16 national parks. In the beginning of 2018, Mapala Silvagama has visited two national parks in East Nusa Tenggara, which are Kelimutu and Komodo National Park. Matalawa National Park becomes the team’s last expedition in Nusa Tenggara.
In this expedition they will explore cave potentials of Matalawa National Park. Sumba Region has abundant caves that are dominated by karsts. However, the caves have not been extensively explored yet until now.
“Aside from caves, Sumba has interesting cultures to explore. The characteristics of nature will certainly shape the society’s culture, so it is important for us to learn about it. In Sumba, our team learns from the community about their daily interaction with the forests. This is closely related to our studies,” he explained.
The aim of Mapala Silvagama 50 National Park Expeditions itself is to present informative and educative outcomes related to nature conservation for the public. One of the outcomes is a book telling the story of Mapala Silvagama expeditions in East Nusa Tenggara, including Kelimutu, Komodo, and Matalawa National Park.
The expedition team set for Matalawa National Park Expedition consists of Juju Juhariyah, Adita Fauzan Filandri Wardana, Tegar Kukuh Pribadi, Dede Candra Sunarso, Ardelia Reza Arthaviana, Galih Wahyu Setya Anggara, Evahetti Br Ginting and Okti Fathony Purnama.
“Hopefully this expedition can expand the members’ capacities and bring beneficial results for everyone to enjoy,” said Gian.