Nickel mining company PT Vale Indonesia held a Kick Off Meeting to initiate the Phase I Watershed Rehabilitation (DAS) planting activities in Southeast Sulawesi (Sultra) at the Sampara Watershed Management Office (BPDAS) auditorium in Kendari on Monday (14/10/2024).

During this event, PT Vale Indonesia presented its work plan for Phase I of the DAS rehabilitation, covering an area of 3,081 hectares. This reaffirms the company's commitment to successfully implementing the planting activities in Sultra.

Based on a Decree from the Minister of Environment and Forestry regarding DAS Rehabilitation in Sultra, PT Vale Indonesia is mandated to rehabilitate 12,500 hectares of watershed.

Freddy Toimby Limbong, Head of BPDAS Sampara, expressed his appreciation for PT Vale Indonesia's initiative in organizing this meeting.

He stated that this is an initial step to ensure a solid foundation before beginning field planting activities. Moreover, the meeting is crucial for aligning perspectives and fostering familiarity, so that when field operations commence, the atmosphere will be more collaborative and align with the target and timeline set.

Furthermore, he encouraged all relevant parties to collaborate and synergize in executing the DAS rehabilitation planting activities by PT Vale Indonesia.

"Everyone has a role to play, and we all need to ensure that the plans outlined in the Technical Design and supervised properly are executed in a collaborative and synchronized manner, meeting the timeline and quality standards that have been established," said Freddy.

Meanwhile, La Ode Yulardhi Junus, Head of PDAS-RHL Division of the Southeast Sulawesi Forestry Service, emphasized the importance of involving local communities in the DAS rehabilitation efforts.

"We always stress the need to involve and empower local communities, especially farmer groups in the project areas, as this is part of our efforts to ensure that the rehabilitation work benefits the local economy and helps reduce inflation," Yulardhi asserted.

He noted that the Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Government recognizes the significant support provided by IPPKH holders in restoring critical land in Sultra.

Yulardi expressed hope that the DAS rehabilitation efforts would proceed smoothly and that stakeholders would continue to communicate with land managers at the local level to achieve the intended goals.

"We hope that our colleagues from PT Vale Indonesia and the contractors executing the work can establish good coordination, particularly with those at the KPH level, ensuring the success of the DAS rehabilitation," he added.

Senior Project Manager for Watershed Rehabilitation at PT Vale Indonesia, Fuji, explained that PT Vale Indonesia's participation in the meeting was primarily to present their plan, as a Kick Off Meeting with contractors had already taken place two weeks prior. During that earlier meeting, the company introduced the contractors who would be involved in the rehabilitation activities in Sultra.

"We are presenting our future work plan in Southeast Sulawesi and introducing the contractors who will serve as PT Vale Indonesia's extended team in the field. PT Vale Indonesia is committed to providing regular updates on progress to all stakeholders," Fuji explained.

He further elaborated that a team would regularly supervise field activities, as PT Vale Indonesia is conducting DAS rehabilitation in three provinces: South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, and Sultra.

"We also have DAS rehabilitation activities in Bali and West Java. Our teams will continue to move and monitor all areas. For the Sulawesi Tenggara activities, PT Vale Indonesia's DAS rehabilitation covers around 33,000 hectares," added Fuji.