JAKARTA, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government planted around five million trees in the future capital Nusantara between 2022 and early 2026 as part of efforts to restore the local ecosystem, Nusantara Capital Authority head Basuki Hadimuljono said Friday.
"Nusantara is being developed as a forest city using a rewilding approach aimed at restoring natural ecosystem functions, rather than simply increasing the number of trees," Basuki said.
The approach was adopted because parts of the area had previously been dominated by monoculture plantations, which have lower biodiversity than natural forests, he said.
In addition to land rehabilitation, the development of Nusantara includes the construction of wildlife corridors to reconnect fragmented habitats and support biodiversity conservation.
The authority aims to designate 65 percent of Nusantara's total area as green and protected land, with the forest city concept seeking to balance urban development with environmental sustainability. ■
