The project’s name, Stream, stands for “Sustainable Tourism Through Energy Efficiency With Adaptation And Mitigation Measures In Pangandaran.“
Schoolchildren from Pangandaran, one of the archipelago’s most popular tourism regions, have poured their hearts out in letters over how much climate change in Indonesia affects day-to-day life. This new generation is appealing to “world leaders to join forces to combat climate change.“ This region was devastated by the tsunami. The children themselves have become so-called mangrove ambassadors, part of a local project co-involving UNWTO for an unusually long period, and to which Germany’s ministry of the environment has also lent its support. The project’s name is Stream, which stands for “Sustainable Tourism Through Energy Efficiency With Adaptation And Mitigation Measures In Pangandaran.“ Securing the support and involvement of the local population is key to this project’s success. Under the supervision of Indecon, a local trust, schoolchildren from 33 schools partnering the project, together local farmers, are presently growing 10,000 mangrove trees. Since 2011 they, along with others, and including Indonesian celebrities, have planted 27,000 saplings in an area covering 17 hectares. Known as Bulaksetra, this area has become a popular tourism destination because visitors too want to sponsor trees. They can plant their “own” mangrove tree on guided tours or individually as part of a personal contribution to protecting our climate. Alternatively, they can help efforts to preserve coral reefs.
“We found out about tourists’ intentions to help during previous projects“, said UNWTO’s Executive Director for Competitiveness, External Relations and Partnerships Marcio Favilla at the Indonesia Forum at the ITB Berlin Convention. “What counts for them is making a personal contribution towards helping the local community.“ Indonesia’s Deputy Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy Dr. Sapta Nirwandar (photo), who is behind the Stream project, presented UNWTO with some of the schoolchildren’s letters and called Stream the “driving force behind adaptation that can be applied successfully to other regions.“
He has identified 14 other regions in his country which he aims to help build up again with the help of UNWTO. Indonesia intends to reduce its carbon emissions by 26 per cent by the year 2020, but it cannot achieve this goal without outside help. During her visit to Indonesia in June 2012 Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Indonesian President Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono agreed to cooperate with other countries in the region to make a joint effort to reduce emissions by 41 per cent.
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