PENINGKATAN KESADARAN LINGKUNGAN HIDUP

Disadari betul bahwa Indonesia merupakan salah satu negara yang memiliki ketersediaan sumber daya alam yang melimpah karena tidak hanya merupakan negara maritim yang memiliki lautan luas tetapi Indonesia juga merupakan negara agraris yang memiliki daerah daratan yang tersebar diantara luas lautan tersebut. Indonesia sebagai salah satu negara berkembang di Asia, hingga saat ini masih sangat bergantung pada ketersediaan sumber daya alam sebagai modal untuk melaksanakan pembangunan dan menopang ekonomi masyarakat khususnya masyarakat di daerah–daerah pedesaan. Oleh karena itu, ketersediaan sumber daya alam secara berkesinambungan mutlak diperlukan agar pembangunan dapat terus dilaksanakan. Untuk dapat mewujudkan ketersediaan tersebut maka mutlak adanya sebuah upaya kepedulian terhadap sumber daya alam baik yang dapat diperbaharui maupun tidak dapat diperbaharui.
Hutan sebagai penyedia sumber daya alam merupakan prioritas utama yang harus dipelihara dan dilestarikan secara berkesinambungan. Pembakaran hutan dengan alasan apapun harus segera ditindak, paling tidak adanya upaya pencegahan dengan memberikan pemahaman kepada masyarakat untuk dapat menyadari pentingnya kelestarian lingkungan hidup terutama hutan sebagai ekosistemnya.

PESUTS In The MAHAKAM RIVER

In east Kalimantan, to be exact in the hinterland of mahakam river, there is a species of dolphin which the local people call pesut. Like other species, pesut are also tame and familiar with human beings. Someday if you make trip to melak regency by a traditional boat, you will see these pesuts while relaxing on the boat and anjoying the beautiful scenery of mahakam river and the forest of Kalimantan. Usually pesuts appear to the surface of the water, jumping and swimming without being afraid of the surrounding situation. Pesuts that you see are actually hunting for their prey. Foods for pesut are small fishes such as Kendia, Biawan, and Lais which are abundant in the mahakam river.
It’s the habit of pesuts to live in groups of not exceending eight in each group. Pesut are mammals, there are also carnivorous as their main food is small fishes. When they are hunting, some times they might even enter very small rivers. Pesuts breath though their lungs, so they cannot stay too long under water and have to resurface for breathing approximately at a 15 minute interval. To detect the appearing of pesuts is really easy. It’s by hearing their specific voice and the splash of wwater to the air. Unfortunately, pesuts life is fragile, minor injury may end with their death.
Pesut is still believed as a sacred animal and has been the symbol of tourism for a long time to East Kalimantan. Every tourist visiting here, whether local or international, spends some of their time just to know more about pesut. They may spend about a week just to know the pesut and the hinterland of mahakam. Pesut is also the mascot of east Kalimantan province. East Kalimantan has the pesut statue built in front of the Governor’s office and the side of mahakam river.