Green Collaboration to Restore the Krueng Pase Watershed
The Village Forest Management Institution (LPHD) of Pulo Meuria Village, Geureudong Pase District, North Aceh, and the community held a tree planting event along the Krueng Pase Watershed (DAS) boundary.
This activity is part of the restoration effort for the upstream river area damaged by an ecological disaster in November 2025.
This activity is supported by the Aceh Forum for the Environment (WALHI), the Indonesian Social Forestry Management Association (AP2SI) Aceh, Bina Rakyat Sejahtera (BYTRA) Aceh, and the Environmental Local Champion Club (ELCC).
Field Coordinator, M. Rian Mirza, stated that this activity was the community's first step in restoring the Krueng Pase Watershed, which suffered abrasion and damage in several areas after being hit by major flooding in late 2025.
"We may only be able to plant around 800 seedlings. It's not a large number, but this is a concrete step we're taking from the upstream area to restore the Krueng Pase Watershed," said Rian on Saturday, July 18, 2026.
According to Rian, who is also a member of the Pulo Meuria Village LPHD (Regional Water Resources Management Agency), the Krueng Pase Watershed plays a crucial role as a water catchment area that supplies water to communities in 11 sub-districts in North Aceh Regency and Lhokseumawe City. Therefore, efforts to save the area require the involvement of all parties.
"We hope that more parties, both the government and the private sector, will participate in saving the Krueng Pase Watershed. We are always open to collaborating in various forms of conservation activities, including protecting forests, water resources, and wildlife habitats for the benefit of the community," he said.
Rian also expressed his appreciation to WALHI Aceh, AP2SI Aceh, BYTRA Aceh, and ELCC for their support in the activity.
"Thank you for the donation of mahogany, coconut, and Jamaican guava seedlings. All of these seedlings have been planted along the riverbanks in the village area and the Pulo Meuria Gampong conservation area," he said.
Meanwhile, Munawir Abdullah, Head of the Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Division of WALHI Aceh, stated that the Krueng Pase Watershed rehabilitation activity not only aims to restore the river's ecological function but also demonstrates community support for the implementation of Aceh Governor's Instruction Number 8 of 2025 concerning the Arrangement and Regulation of Business Licensing and Non-Licensing in the Natural Resources Sector.
According to Munawir, one of the points in the governor's instruction asks regents and mayors throughout Aceh to organize and regulate the implementation of business permits and non-permits to ensure they comply with the Regional Spatial Plan (RTRW), the Conformity of Spatial Utilization Activities (KKPR), the Environmental Impact Analysis (AMDAL), and the Environmental Management and Monitoring Efforts (UKL-UPL) documents.
Furthermore, the Aceh Agriculture and Plantation Service was also instructed to organize and regulate the implementation of the obligations of holders of Plantation Business Permits (IUP), Cultivation Plantation Business Permits (IUP-B), and Processing Plantation Business Permits (IUP-P), including facilitating the development of community plantations in accordance with statutory provisions.
"Based on our findings in the field prior to the November 2025 ecological disaster, there were alleged violations in the form of oil palm planting in riverbank areas. These areas should be protected conservation areas," said Munawir.
Therefore, he hopes the regional government and relevant agencies will consistently implement the Aceh Governor's Instruction so that riverbank management efforts can proceed in tandem with community initiatives to restore the Krueng Pase Watershed.
Meanwhile, Rahmad, the BYTRA Aceh Program Manager, stated that the tree-planting activity is a crucial concrete step in supporting the restoration of the Krueng Pase Watershed.
He stated that the rehabilitation of the upstream river area requires the involvement of various parties, including young people who care about the environment.
Rahmad also commended the ELCC cadres for demonstrating concrete actions, not just through discourse or classroom discussions but also through out-of-class activities such as this tree-planting activity.
He explained that the activity is part of the field practice of the ELCC environmental activist cadre development program, which has so far produced three batches of cadres by BYTRA.
"This activity demonstrates the ELCC cadres' commitment to supporting environmental conservation and rescue efforts after attending a series of cadre development classes. We hope that every tree planted will be a legacy of oxygen for the future," he said.
The Chair of the ELCC, M. Nur Khatami, echoed this sentiment, adding that preserving the Krueng Pase Watershed is a shared responsibility because the area is located in the upstream region and serves as a water source for communities downstream.
He stated that this tree-planting activity was a collaboration between dozens of ELCC cadres from batches I, II, and III, along with WALHI Aceh, AP2SI Aceh, BYTRA Aceh, LPHD Gampong Pulo Meuria, and the local community, as a concrete action to preserve the environment.
"This activity is part of the field practice of batch III ELCC participants. We hope that today's tree planting will benefit the environment and have a long-term impact on the sustainability of water resources in North Aceh," Khatami concluded.[]
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