Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) awarded Conservation Awards to two prominent figures who were deemed to have made extraordinary contributions to environmental and wildlife conservation. The award was given at the 59th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony on Saturday (8/6) at the Prof. Building. Wuryanto, Sekaran Campus, Gunungpati, Semarang City.
The two figures are Victor Rachmat Hartono from the Djarum Foundation and Drs. Jansen Manansang, M.Sc. from the Indonesian Safari Park. Victor Rachmat Hartono received the Upakarti Reksa Mandala Bhuwana Award. The Upakarti Mutual Mṛga-taru Award was given to Dr. Jansen Manansang.
Victor Rachmat Hartono and the Djarum Foundation have become influential figures in the greening movement throughout Indonesia. Through the Djarum Trees For Life program, the Djarum Foundation has planted more than 3 million trees in various regions in Indonesia. This initiative was continued by planting trembesi trees along the transportation route from the north coast of Java Island to Lombok Island and the Trans Sumatra Toll Road with a total length of 3,361 kilometers.
Through this action, it not only increases the comfort and shade of the highway, but also optimizes carbon dioxide absorption, maintains soil structure, and absorbs rainwater. Victor also turned this tree planting initiative into a collective activity involving various communities, universities and the wider community. In recognition of his dedication and contribution to greening Indonesia, UNNES is proud to award the Upakarti Reksa Mandala Bhuwana award to Victor Rachmat Hartono.
Meanwhile, Drs. Jansen Manansang is considered to have extraordinary services in animal conservation. For more than 40 years, Jansen Manansang has developed conservation-based educational tourism at the Indonesian Safari Park, which is now the largest in Indonesia. Jansen has been an important figure in the success of PT Taman Safari Indonesia and the Indonesian Badak Foundation.
Through his role at Taman Safari Indonesia, Jansen has initiated various conservation activities, including the establishment of hospitals and clinics for endangered species such as the Sumatran elephant. He also founded the Indonesian Rhino Foundation with the Ministry of the Environment, initiating an intensive conservation program for the Sumatran rhino, including the successful repatriation of three male Sumatran rhinos from the United States to become mates with female rhinos in Indonesia, resulting in the first offspring of female rhinos in 30 years.
Apart from that, Jansen also played an important role in the publication of the Indonesian Rhino Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (SKBI), which was funded by Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII) in 1993. His dedication to wildlife conservation has attracted international attention, so that Jansen was appointed as a member of the advisory board Association of Southeast Asian Zoos, as well as implementer of the Livestock Expert Group from the International Union for Conservation of Nature for the Indonesian region.
This award is a form of respect for UNNES for their extraordinary efforts in environmental and wildlife conservation, thereby having a significant impact in Indonesia.
UNNES Chancellor Prof. Dr. S Martono, MSi appreciated the two figures for applying conservation principles in their respective fields. He hopes that the UNNES award can inspire the wider community to apply conservation values in various fields.
