A Form of Responsibility for Open Areas
Dompu, 29 November 2023: PT Sumbawa Timur Mining (STM), the owner of Hu’u Project Contract of Work in Dompu Regency, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia commemorates the National Tree Planting Day in Indonesia. The highlight of this commemoration was held on Sunday, November 26, 2023 in the Hu’u Project area, Nangadoro Village, Dompu Regency, West Nusa Tenggara. The event involved STM employees and contractors, who managed to plant 300 trees.
Apart from the tree planting agenda in the Project area, STM also collaborated with the Dompu Regency Environmental Office (DLH) to celebrate the Tree Planting Day together with the community on November 27, 2023. In this activity, 100 tree seedlings were successfully planted along Jalan Raya Pajo. Quoted from the website of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), the determination of Indonesian Tree Planting Day refers to Presidential Decree Number 24 of 2008. The decree signed by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) decided November 28 as Indonesian Tree Planting Day.
STM regularly commemorates Tree Planting Day since 2019, supported by a nursery facility with a capacity of 12,500 seedlings in Wadbura and Nangadoro areas. The nursery facility also supports forest management efforts in exploration area, as explained by Razky Akbar, External Relations & Sustainability Manager of STM. “In the process of developing sustainable mineral mines, proper forestry management is required to minimize the impact on forest areas. Since 2017 to 2023, STM has planted totally 13,525 tree seedlings, covering an area of 68,1356 hectares spread across 97 locations in the Hu’u Project exploration area. All of the planting aim to revegetate and rehabilitate forests or open land used by exploration drilling that is no longer in use. The trees are also to replace trees in other areas that may be affected,” said Razky.
In general, planting trees is useful for anticipating global climate change, preventing a decrease in environmental carrying capacity, overcoming deforestation, and preventing other environmental damage which results in a decrease in natural productivity and environmental sustainability.
All the participants joining the national Tree Planting Day held by STM seemed enthusiastic. Razky hopes that the involvement of all employees and contractors will inspire good habits. “We hope that the consistent steps we take will provide a good legacy for future generations, as well as fostering an awareness of love for the environment inside all of us,” he said.
STM Forestry Management
Razky said further that efforts to minimize impacts on forest areas during the construction of mining operations are not only carried out by planting trees, but by adopting sustainable forestry management practices through a comprehensive approach implementation. Forestry management includes land clearing planning, implementing tree management system, caring for forest plant seeds, post-land clearing rehabilitation, and reclamation activities.
STM always strives to return open areas and areas that are no longer used for exploration to their original condition by routinely carrying out rehabilitation, reclamation and revegetation activities as part of this commitment. Planning for these activities begins with a technical design document, prepared by the STM forestry team. This plan then serves as a guide to ensure that rehabilitation goals are well-achieved.
STM collaborates with the Toffo Pajo Soromandi Forest Management Unit (KPH TOPASO) in protecting the forest area of the STM PPKH area. This form of cooperation is stated in the MoU which contains forestry management activities, such as patrolling and guarding mineral and Ex-geothermal PPKH forestry gates, assisting in preventing forest fires, developing forest honey cultivation, and succeeding the Green NTB program. Apart from guarding the PPKH STM area, STM also supports guarding the forest area around the RTK 65 area. KPH TOPASO also helps in providing outreach and assistance to the community regarding the management and guarding of forest areas.
In addition to the above activities of forestry management, STM also carries out routine assessments as a form of mitigating the risk of trees falling on mature plants in work areas or around supporting facilities. A tree’s physical strength is influenced by several factors including age, damage caused by pests and genetics, and weak internal trunk structure. This means that the tree may not be as strong as it seems. STM uses a resistograph to provide comprehensive information about the condition of the tree. This tool can show whether there is internal damage without having to cut or damage the tree. This information allows the STM forestry team to evaluate and monitor the condition of trees around camps and operational facilities.
All forestry management efforts undertaken by STM are solely to ensure that forest preservation can be taken up side by side with the development of mining operations.
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About PT Sumbawa Timur Mining – PT STM
PT Sumbawa Timur Mining (STM) is a joint venture between Eastern Star Resources Pty Ltd (80%), a 100%-owned subsidiary of Vale SA, and PT Antam Tbk (20%). Established in 1998, STM became the owner of the Hu’u Project 7th generation Contract of Work (CoW) and Geothermal Preliminary & Exploration Survey Assignment in Hu’u District, Dompu Regency, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. The CoW area covers 19,260 hectares in Dompu Regency and Bima Regency. Currently, PT STM is conducting mineral exploration activities to realize its vision in becoming a world-class copper mine powered by renewable energy.
For further information, please contact Sumbawa Timur Mining Team
