Government ensures orangutan habitat unharmed by IKN development

The work to develop Nusantara Capital City (IKN) in parts of East Kalimantan poses no harm to the habitat of orangutans, according to the Presidential Staff Office (KSP).

Speaking at ASNFest 2024, held at the ANTARA Heritage Center in Jakarta on Saturday, KSP chief expert staff Ratna Dasahasta affirmed that the orangutans' habitat is far from the Government Core Area of Nusantara.

On the occasion, the KSP screened a film it titled "Orangutans and the Future of Ecosystem in Nusantara Capital City," which captures the harmonious relations between the great apes and the government's major project.

Dasahasta explained that the film was screened to assuage concerns that IKN's construction could threaten forests, the environment, and orangutans.

She remarked that the government had decided to make the film to show its care for the sustainability of orangutans, an endangered group of apes native to Indonesia's Kalimantan and Sumatra islands.

The official stated that orangutans also serve as a symbol or icon of the environment.

"The presence of orangutans in a forest signifies the good quality of the forest," Dasahasta remarked.

In order to refute criticism about Nusantara's development voiced by domestic and international communities, she affirmed that the KSP deemed it necessary to convey comprehensive and clear information on the actual connection between the future capital city and orangutans.

"It is vital that we respond to such criticism, and I believe that audiovisual products are among the most suitable means of reaching the public these days," she stated.

The expert staff said her team had gone through a lengthy process to produce the film, including conducting research and interviews.

"Through this film, I seek to convey a message that the relocation of our country's capital city from Jakarta to Nusantara is, in actuality, not having any detrimental impacts on the lives of orangutans," she emphasized.