Long-haired Warrior from Lake Buret

The universe and its wealth are neither the gift of the Creator nor an ancestral heritage. So, take care of it. Take advantage of it, but wisely and sustainably. Karsi Nerro Soethamrin wants to take part in preventing nature from getting damaged.

KOMPAS/AMBROSIUS HARTO

Karsi Nerro Soethamrin

The universe and its wealth are neither the gift of the Creator nor an ancestral heritage. They belong to our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and future generations. So, take care of it. Take advantage of it, but wisely and sustainably. Karsi Nerro Soethamrin wants to take part in preventing nature from getting damaged. He conserves Lake Buret in Tulungagung so that the next generation can enjoy it.

Until 1990, Karsi Nerro Soethamrin was a teenager who liked going on adventures, exploring nature. He remembered that, at that time, Lake Buret in Sawo village, Campurdarat district, Tulungagung regency, East Java, was still shaded with towering trees with thick canopies of leaves. The area was a pristine tropical forest that seemed untouched with various fruits, vegetables, medicinal ingredients, building materials and ponds as a source of water for life that was there. In addition, there were wild animals, including predators, such as leopards, and birds, apes, mammals, reptiles and insects.

However, after the 1990s, the natural forest area, which was originally called Madirda, saw encroachment. Some people dared to “challenge” the curse of Jigang Jaya, who was believed to be a Majapahit Kingdom officer. Trees were cut down. Rocks and soil were dredged. Water was sucked. Fish, bulls and animals that lived in lakes and forests were hunted down for use or consumption. The attack intensified after the Reform Era, when the people were given the authority to utilize natural resources.

A group of young people, including Karsi Nerro Soethamrin, were not willing to see Madirda destroyed. The impact was immediately felt when the nature was getting damaged. The lake water was used for irrigating rice fields in four surrounding villages in Campurdarat, namely Sawo, Gamping, Gedangan and Ngentrong. Due to the destruction, on several occasions, farmers failed to harvest, experiencing drought in the dry season or floods in the rainy season.

“If the environment destruction was not stopped, the residents would no longer benefit from the lake,” Karsi told Kompas in Tulungagung in September.

The long-haired man recalled that, along with the youth and residents who were aware of the damage, they made pledges in 1997 to carry out conservation efforts. However, two years later, massive attacks erupted with the euphoria of the Reform Era, when people thought they had the right to freely manage and use natural resources. A group of citizens with simple intentions to preserve Lake Buret were against fellow citizens who wanted to take advantage of the nature to meet their basic needs.

The conflict was clearly unavoidable, but not in physical clashes or incidents. Karsi and his fellow young peers, most of them sporting long hair, took to the “battlefield”. However, they did battled not through rage, but through patience, fortitude and tenacity. Every time a tree was cut down, they immediately planted new seeds, even though the types of plants were not the same. Plants were treated and maintained.

In addition, they also explored folklore and stories surrounding Madirda. One mystical story tells about the curse of Jigang Jaya, in which residents around the lake must hold a ceremony on a special Friday in the month of Selo every year in order to avoid the threat of disaster. The legend that was later spread by word of mouth seemed to be quite effective.

“Maybe at that time people were afraid of us because we were mostly long-haired and brave enough to die for the preservation of the lake,” he said, laughing.

Fruitful

Slowly but surely, the efforts of the people, who call themselves the Habitat of People Preserving Nature (Hampar), is bearing fruit. The encroachment on the forest itself has continued to decrease. After submitting a proposal to state forest company Perum Perhutani to become the guard and manager of Lake Buret, the group was granted the right to manage 1.9 hectares of the forest. Now, the managed area extends to 22.8 ha, with a proposed expansion of 60 ha.

In between their daily routines as a micro, small and medium-sized industry activists (IMKMs), Karsi and his friends protect Lake Buret. They organized the lake into zones. In the forest area, there is a zone for camping and playing and they even built a simple hut for a small library and food stalls. Visitors are not charged with fees, although donations are accepted for parking.

They also preserve the ulu-ulur tradition, which was almost always attended by high-ranking executive and legislative officials in Tulungagung. In addition, Hindus in Tulungagung regularly perform the melasti ritual. Lake Buret, with the Jigang Jaya sacred spot, also became a site where people prayed for victory in political contestation.

“This year\'s ulur-ulur tradition is not attended by officials, but next year it will be crowded because of the political year,” Karsi said, pointing to next year\'s 2019 election, in which legislative candidates or supporters of presidential and vice-presidential candidates would try to secure votes.

Kalpataru award

The works of Karsi and fellow citizens who care for the nature ultimately won appreciation. In 2003, Karsi received the East Java Pioneer Youth Award. The award had driven him to do more because he felt unworthy and that he did nothing.

“It drives me and my friends to be more active,” said Karsi. The forest area that is under his management was expanded 3 to 5 more hectares.

In 2014, Karsi received the Kalpataru Award from the Tulungagung regent in appreciation of his role as a savior of the environment. A year later, Karsi received a Kalpataru from the governor of East Java. That same year, Karsi was nominated as a recipient of the Kalpataru environment award at the national level by the Environment and Forestry Ministry, but he did not win. However, in 2018, he won the award in a ceremony in Bitung, North Sulawesi.

“I feel I don’t deserve the award because I am part of a community that has struggled for the preservation of Lake Buret. It is the people who should receive the award,” Karsi said.

KOMPAS/AMBROSIUS HARTO

Karsi Nerro Soethamrin

Born: Tulungagung, June 8, 1973

Wife: Siti Nuryuana

Child: Nerri Java Ayuningtyas

Education: Elementary school SD Negeri Sawo 1; Junior high school SMP Budhi Luhur Ngentrong

Activity: Chairman of Communications Forum for Tourism Awareness in Tulungagung; Chairman of Green Community Forum in Tulungagung; Chairman of the Habitat of People Preserving Nature (Hampar); Chairman of the Forested Village Community in Tulungagung