Samboja - The Chief Executive Officer of PT Pertamina Hulu Indonesia (PHI), Sunaryanto, officially inaugurated several new facilities in the Sungai Hitam Lestari Ecotourism Area, Samboja District, Kutai Kartanegara Regency. This inauguration marks part of the Ramadan Safari and Management Goes to Community (MGTC) activities attended by PHI management and local government officials (Muspika) of Samboja District on Wednesday (20/3).

The ecotourism area is part of the company's flagship CSR program, developed by PEP Sangasanga Field in collaboration with the Sungai Hitam Lestari Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) since 2019. It now has facilities such as a learning corner, food court, parking area, and toilets.

Sunaryanto, affectionately known as Anto, explained that this program's success is due to the involvement of all stakeholders, especially the residents of the old village and the Muspika of Samboja District. "With the official opening of these supporting facilities, we aim to advance the development of this program in the future, thereby providing added value to the surrounding community," explained Anto.

Following the inauguration ceremony, the activities continued with the planting of 1,000 mangrove trees in the Sungai Hitam area, a manifestation of the company's commitment to reducing carbon emissions and environmental conservation, supporting Pertamina's energy transition policy, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2060.

Sungai Hitam Lestari Ecotourism is a community development program or CSR by PEP Sangasanga Field in the environmental sector. It focuses on the development of Pokdarwis and ecotourism based on proboscis monkey conservation. "Last year, this program successfully received the Gold PROPER predicate from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry," he added.

The initiation of this program is motivated by the declining habitat conditions of proboscis monkeys in Indonesia, which are facing conversion into settlements, ponds, or agricultural land. Based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the status of proboscis monkeys is currently categorized as endangered.

The Sungai Hitam Lestari Ecotourism program encompasses various aspects, from probosci's monkey conservation to solar panels and mangrove reforestation. Since the program's inception, the proboscis monkey population and conservation efforts have reached 400 individuals. Furthermore, solar panel usage and mangrove reforestation have positively impacted the environment, reducing carbon emissions of 51.04 tons CO2eq/year and 175.34 tons CO2eq/year, respectively.

The local Pokdarwis primarily offer river tours that highlight sustainable tourism for tourists visiting the Sungai Hitam Lestari Ecotourism area. Through these activities, Pokdarwis can generate an annual income of Rp70 million from river tour fees for 1,200 visitors who come each year. About 50 percent of visitors are international tourists. Additionally, the Pokdarwis can save Rp1.2 million annually on electricity costs with Renewable Energy (EBT) solar panels.

Representing Muspika Samboja, Sergeant Andri expressed gratitude for the attention from PEP Sangasanga to the people of Samboja District, both in general and to Sungai Hitam Lestari Pokdarwis, led by Aidil Amin. "As residents of Samboja, we benefit from the activities of PEP Sangasanga through the Sungai Hitam Ecotourism program. Thanks to Pertamina's guidance, this area has become better, and the number of visitors has increased, thus also impacting the local economy," said Andri.

Head of Comrel & CID PHI Zone 9, Elis Fauziyah, stated that the Sungai Hitam Lestari Ecotourism Area will move towards the riparian development stage next, as suggested by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry during last year's Gold PROPER assessment session. "Currently, we are further studying the fulfillment of riparian location indicators. We will also coordinate further with several government agencies to collaborate on developing and validating these indicators," she added.

The Sungai Hitam Lestari program contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 1 on poverty eradication, Goal 8 on decent work and economic growth, and Goal 15 on terrestrial ecosystem conservation.

PT Pertamina EP (PEP) Sangasanga Field, under Subholding Upstream Regional 3 led by PT Pertamina Hulu Indonesia (PHI), operates upstream oil and gas operations and businesses according to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. Through cooperation with SKK Migas, PEP Sangasanga Field, along with PHI's subsidiaries and affiliates, implements innovative Corporate Social Responsibility programs in the fields of Economy, Education, Health, Environment, Infrastructure, and Disaster Response to support sustainable community empowerment and achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). PHI's headquarters is in Jakarta. Further information about PHI is available at https://phi.pertamina.com.