WBN- Sabu Raijua, NTT – The Rai Hawu Ecological Association and residents of Bata hamlet, Ballu Village, Raijua District, Sabu Raijua Regency again planted 94 tree cuttings or almost a hundred trees in Bata Hamlet, Tuesday (27/02/2024) morning.

The coordinator of the GEF SGP Phase 7 program from the Rai Hawu Ecological Association, Pelipus Libu Heo, said that tree planting was to strengthen the flow of Mata Menanga, Ballu Village. This spring is a spring that supports the people of the entire Raijua District.

It is said that the choice to plant trees from cuttings is to anticipate being eaten by livestock that are still released wild during the dry season.

“We have just finished planting 94 trees from cuttings. They are all Banyan Trees or Latin Ficus. We chose banyan because it has a function as a tree that protects springs. “It is easy to grow and has resistance to extreme climates,” he said to this media.

According to Libu Heo, the challenge of planting trees in Raijua is the minimal rainfall in 2024. In fact, people have failed to plant beans and sorghum in their gardens.

The second challenge is minimal public awareness about planting and caring for the trees planted. Even though we are faced with climate change, the increase in earth’s surface temperature is due to global warming.

“Our challenges in Raijua are complex, there is limited land that can be planted for reforestation, or planted to protect springs. “We chose critical land, not garden land and livestock pasture,” he said

The editor-in-chief of Pelopor9 online media thanked the community and government of Ballu Village for supporting tree planting. Apart from that, to the Rai Hawu Consortium, Environmental Business Development Foundation (YBUL), Pikul Foundation, GEF SGP Phase 7 team.

“We are grateful to receive funding support from the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Program (GEF SGP) Phase 7, to mobilize, coordinate the community and carry out capacity building activities,” he concluded

The head of three (3) Bata hamlets, Ballu Village, Yonrobius Weo Nima, said that the village community was very enthusiastic about reforestation. This is also to support the greening movement initiated by the head of Ballu Village.

“I encourage residents to plant. If what we plant is successful, this location will be shady and cool. “This is the third time we have planted with Ecology Rai Hawu,” he said.

For your information, previously Ecologi Rai and the Ballu Village community had planted 684 trees on December 21 and 22, bringing the total number of stem cuttings planted to 778.

Ecology Rai Hawu has also distributed saplings and planted together with election officials in mid-February a total of 74 saplings from Ecologi Rai Hawu’s nursery. So the total number of tree saplings planted by Ecology Rai Hawu together with the community is 852 trees.

Currently, there are 2,556 saplings ready for planting in the Rai Hawu Ecology nursery. Including a thousand tree saplings imported from Kupang with assistance from the Benain Noelmina Kupang River Watershed Management Center (BPDAS). (Team)