Cooperation is required to restore our watersheds

Wiryono, Bengkulu | Opinion | Fri, March 22 2013, 11:28 AM Paper Edition | Page: 7

To mark World Water Day, held annually on March 22, we need to renew our commitment to the restoration of our damaged watersheds, from which water flows into the rivers to be used for many purposes.

We are fortunate that many Indonesian provinces are blessed with a wet climate; so we have abundant water. The distribution of water, spatially and temporally, however, often does not match our needs. In some areas, annual rainfall is too low, while in some areas it is too high. In the dry season, the volume of water is less than our needs. On the contrary, in the rainy season there is too much water, causing erosion, sedimentation, floods and landslides.

The reason why we should control population growth

Wiryono, Bengkulu | Opinion | Fri, February 22, 2013,   The Jakarta Post. Paper Edition | Page: 6

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesia’s population has doubled within 40 years from 119.2 million in 1971 to 237.6 million in 2010. In another 40 years from now, our population will exceed 450 million, resulting in the increased extraction of natural resources and increasing pollution.

All environmental scientists and activists must be alarmed about this high population growth.

But some Indonesian Muslims are not worried. For them, fears of a human population exceeding the earth’s carrying capacity means a lack of faith in God. They strongly believe that God will provide every creature with the necessary resources to live.

Help save the planet by performing simple tasks

By Wiryono
The Jakarta Post. Tuesday, April 18, 2000
BENGKULU (JP): As Earth Day approaches, it is timely to contemplate ways in which to keep the planet habitable. Concern for the environment began to attract public attention in the 60′s. This was primarily in developed countries. Over time, due to the improved communication among nations, environmental issues have become important internationally, both in developed as well as in developing countries. Because of globalization, in the coming decades environmental issues will be even more dominant in determining bilateral and multilateral relationships among countries.

Living in harmony with natural Jakarta

Wiryono, Bengkulu | Opinion | Tue, February 12 2013, 12:07 PM

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Paper Edition | Page: 7

It is ironic that many high-level government officials, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, seemed taken by surprise by the major floods that inundated much of Jakarta. The President and his Cabinet held an emergency meeting to figure out how to avoid flooding in the future.

They apparently forgot that Jakarta is no stranger to such problems and major floods have struck the city twice in the last 11 years. Even during the colonial era, Jakarta experienced major floods.

Massive campaigns for animal conservation

Wiryono, Bengkulu | Opinion | Thu, December 27 2012, 11:06 AM

Paper Edition | Page: 6

Most Indonesians are now aware of the importance of trees for the environment. On a daily basis we see TV advertisements that display the commitment of big companies to the environment through activities such as planting trees.  On visits to various provinces, the forestry minister plants trees. The President and the First Lady have gotten involved by leading the planting one billion trees program. We also have National Tree Planting Day on Nov. 27. The massive campaigns in the country are in part due to our pledge to reduce carbon emissions by up to 26 percent.

Although the planting of exotic trees nationwide is not ecologically sound and although there have been few success stories resulting from the tree planting program, the massive campaigns disseminate the message that we should plant more trees to save the environment. I believe that in the future, we will see success from the tree planting program as environmental awareness is growing in the country.  In comparison to animal conservation, we do not see many campaigns on TV supporting animal conservation; however, we do come across news on animal smuggling. Indonesia has failed to stop the illegal trade of wild animals, dead or alive.

Saving local ecological knowledge, saving ourselves

 

Wiryono, Bengkulu | Opinion | Wed, January 16 2013, 11:29 AM

The Jakarta Post. Paper Edition | Page: 7

Although the term of biodiversity was coined only decades ago, humans have studied it since their appearance on earth. To survive on Earth, early humans had to be able to identify edible plants, where to find them and when to harvest them.

They also had to be able to identify poisonous plants, specifically, how to use them for hunting or how to get rid of the poison so that the plants could be eaten. Some people developed knowledge of medicinal plants. Others learned about animal ecology and behavior and used that knowledge to hunt and eventually tame animals. Through intensive interaction with nature for thousands of years, humans finally gained a sufficient knowledge of plants and animals to start the agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago.

MENGGAPAI KEBAHAGIAAN (4)

Memilah yang penting dan yang remeh temeh

Dalam hidup ini, ada hal-hal yang essensial ada yang remeh temeh. Namun klasifikasi ini bisa berbeda untuk orang yang profesinya berbeda. Seorang wartawan sepakbola perlu menghafal nama-nama pemain bola, nomor punggung mereka, posisi mereka di lapangan, dan semua hal yang terkait dengan pemain. Untuk seorang dosen biologi, informasi tentang pemain bola tersebut tidak esensial. Daripada menghafal data pemain bola, lebih baik dosen tsb membaca informasi terbaru di bidang biologi dan pengetahuan lainnya yang terkait.

Memilah mana yang esensial dan mana yang remeh temeh merupakan langkah awal untuk mengurangi beban hidup. Fokuslah pada yang esensial, dan jangan menghabiskan energy dan waktu untuk yang remeh temeh. Misalnya, untuk orang biasa (bukan model atau professional lain yang membutuhkan fashion) esensi pakaian adalah untuk melindungi tubuh dari cuaca buruk dan menutup aurat bagi orang beragama. Mode dan warna tidak esensial, maka jangan sampai kita pusing memikirkannya. Kalau mau ekstrem, kita dapat memilih pakaian sambil pejam mata. Tentu saja, tidak perlu se-ekstrem itu. Kita boleh memperhatikan mode, tetapi jangan sampai mode mengalahkan fungsi, apalagi sampai merepotkan kita.