Since it was enacted as a regulation in 2017, planting for the rehabilitation of watersheds (DAS) has been continuously carried out by ITM's subsidiaries by complying with all aspects stipulated in the regulation. The planting process for watershed rehabilitation includes the initial planting stage (phase P.0), plant maintenance (stage P.1) and the readiness of plants for assessment (stage P.2), all of which are carried out in areas determined by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (LHK).
Watershed rehabilitation land that is claimed to have met the requirements, is then assessed by a team of KLHK before being declared successful and is eligible for a handover to the Ministry. The success criteria of watershed rehabilitation include the number of planty for as many as 700 stems per hectare, and the level of growing and healthy plants of more than 75% of the initial number of plants.
On August 3rd, PT Trubaindo Coal Mining (TCM) succeeded in handing over 2,030 hectares of rehabilitated watershed land in the Kutai National Park Area in East Kalimantan. The handover ceremony was held at the KLHK Jakarta office. Present at the ceremony, was the Director of TCM, Mr. Deddy Sugiharto who represented the Company signed the minutes of handover with the Director of Soil and Water Conservation (KTA) Zainal Arifin and the Director General of Watershed Management and Forest Rehabilitation (PDASRH), Dyah Murtiningsih.
Mr. Deddy explained that TCM and ITM as a business group, will continue to plant on critical land that is determined in accordance with the obligations issued by the Government. Meanwhile, in his remarks the Director General of PDASRH expressed his appreciation to the Company for the work in carrying out watershed rehabilitation. "Efforts like this must be escalated both in terms of area of coverage and quality of the plants," said the Director General of PDASRH.
Watershed Rehabilitation and the ESG
ITM's commitment in carrying out the watershed rehabilitation program reflects the Company's strategy which highlights the sustainable development principles as a fundamental guide for the Company’s business development and policies. Watershed rehabilitation is seen as having important aspects in supporting the achievement of national sustainable development goals, as well as being an important contribution to the achievement of Indonesia's ambition to achieve net-zero emissions in 2060 or sooner.
In addition, watershed rehabilitation also has a good impact on the lives of communities around the forest. Since the planting period, the community has been involved and provided with specific knowledge about plant nurseries and their maintenance. Furthermore, complementary programs such as education, health and even economic empowerment can be done along with the rehabilitation. It is no exaggeration if ITM's watershed rehabilitation program is said to be a model for implementing environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles that are integrated in one large sustainable program.
Going forward, ITM will continue to carry out watershed rehabilitation activity by improving the quality of its implementation. One that is being developed is the application of geo-tagging which will enable a better plant monitoring and maintenance system.
