GOVT TO BUILD BATAM BOTANICAL GARDEN

Govt to build Batam Botanical Garden
Senin, 14 April 2014

The Public Works Ministry, in cooperation with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), will this year develop the Batam Botanical Garden in Batam, Riau Islands.

The matter was shared by a representative from the Batam Spatial Planning Agency, Agung Fithrianto, during a recent workshop in Bogor, West Java, on the formulation of a road map to build botanical gardens in Indonesia.

The construction of the Batam Botanical Garden, which will span around 86 hectares (ha), is in line with the national spatial planning strategy. Batam Island is a strategic area as it borders the neighboring countries of Singapore and Malaysia.

According to Agung, the project is estimated to cost between Rp 400 billion (US$35.2 million) and Rp 500 billion, which will be assigned by the Public Works Ministry, which has earmarked Rp 24 billion for the initial development stage.

In addition, the Batam city administration has provided land acquisition assistance and funded research, such as the exploration of endemic plant species such as the bintangur (Calophyllum), gaharu (agarwood), pitcher plant and giant orchids.

Bogor Botanical Garden curator Didik Widyatmoko said the government had targeted the development of 47 botanical gardens, in line with the Indonesia eco-region program, but only 21 had been realized and 12 were still under construction.

The 12 botanical gardens are Batam, Liwa (in Lampung), Balikpapan (East Kalimantan), Banua (South Kalimantan), Baturaden and Purwodadi (Central Java), Parepare (South Sulawesi), Kendari (Southeast Sulawesi), Eka Karya Bali (Bali), Cibodas, Bogor and the Cibinong Science Center in West Java.

According to Didik, the government had prioritized the 12 because of their strategic position and commitment from local administrations and management. Other factors included spatial planning status, urban functional support, green city development program and urban characteristics, said Didik, adding that they were located near to economic centers.

Various community needs and interests could be accommodated by the botanical gardens, such as environmental services, tourism, education, conservation, research and economic interests, Didik added.

According to Didik, the government will also build three more botanical gardens in Minahasa (North Sulawesi), Pelalawan (Riau) and Gorontalo (Gorontalo), from 2015 and 2019.

Meanwhile, director general of spatial planning at the Public Works Ministry, Basuki Hadimoeljono, said the development of botanical gardens was part of cooperation between LIPI and the ministry, which must be further expanded.

Botanical gardens were a long term investment as they would exist for many years, he said.

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