As a conservation-oriented university, Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) is dedicated to maintaining ecosystem health, including monitoring the balance of aquatic ecosystems within its campus. One of the university’s key initiatives is the development of “Campus Mini Forests,” strategically located across the campus and open to public. These mini forests serve not only as greening efforts but also play a critical role in safeguarding the water quality within the surrounding aquatic ecosystems.
These mini forests are situated in various strategic areas, such as in front of the Faculty of Languages and Arts, around the Faculty of Engineering, and near the Faculty of Sports Science’s soccer field. Beyond creating a visually lush environment, the mini forests also regulate groundwater quality. The trees absorb rainwater, reducing the risk of flooding, and maintain soil moisture as a year-round water reserve. In this way, UNNES not only preserves green land ecosystems but also actively supports the health of aquatic systems on a sustainable basis.
Functioning as diverse habitats, these mini forests provide homes for a variety of flora and fauna, enriching the campus’s biodiversity. Various tree species such as mahogany, teak, and ketapang, along with unique fauna like the doves near the Faculty of Engineering, contribute to ecosystem balance. By creating a healthy environment for plants and animals, UNNES plays an active role in monitoring both land and aquatic ecosystems on campus, reducing erosion and sedimentation risks, and preserving water quality for long-term ecosystem stability.
This initiative reflects UNNES’s commitment to becoming a campus that not only fosters greenery but also diligently monitors and nurtures the surrounding aquatic ecosystems. Through its mini forests, UNNES demonstrates its role as an educational institution committed to conservation and ecological balance, safeguarding the health of aquatic ecosystems and ensuring sustainability for future generations.
source : https://unnes.ac.id/konservasi/id/hutan-mini-kampus/
