Many regions and communities throughout Indonesia possess potential ecosystems to boost economic development. It is necessary that equitable development is also synergized with awareness for the ecosystem, taking into account the preservation of the local flora and fauna. The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences initiated the development of non-timber commodities that support green conservation in Ngrawoh Village, Blora Regency, which is located inside the Blora Special Purpose Forest Area managed by UGM. For this program, the faculty collaborated with the Pertamina Foundation.
The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences also has the Forest Carbon Literacy Course, a free open online course offering a comprehensive deep dive into forest carbon management. By learning about forest carbon management, where vegetation and soil function as carbon sinks, students gain insight into why protecting forests is essential for maintaining flora and fauna habitat quality. Furthermore, carbon initiatives can produce additional ecological benefits beyond carbon sequestration. These co-benefits include biodiversity protection, soil and watershed conservation, and community-based stewardship of natural habitats.
The course kicked off with a panel discussion titled “Synergizing Carbon Sequestration with Social Strategies in Forest Management,” co-hosted with Chakra Giri Energi Indonesia (CGEI) and the Faculty of Forestry.
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