Apical and Partners Target 30,000 Trees in East Kutai in the Second Year of Sustainable Living Village Programme

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 31 March 2026 - The Sustainable Living Village (SLV) programme, a collaboration between Apical and the Earthworm Foundation, has entered its second year of implementation in East Kutai Regency, East Kalimantan. From 8 to 12 February 2026, the programme resumed activities across Tepian Makmur, Tepian Indah, Tepian Langsat and Tepian Raya villages, focusing on strengthening community resilience through environmental restoration and capacity-building initiatives.

The SLV programme promotes a model for sustainable rural development that balances socioeconomic benefits with environmental protection. Through the programme, smallholders receive guidance on adopting sustainable palm oil practices while also being encouraged to diversify their livelihoods. One such initiative is cacao cultivation, which offers an additional income source while helping to promote more sustainable land use.

A key focus this year is a tree-planting initiative in river buffer zones and areas of high conservation value. The programme aims to plant a total of 30,000 trees to strengthen vegetation cover, safeguard watershed functions and support wildlife habitat protection.

Apical CSR Manager, Agus Wiastono, said the programme is designed to encourage active community participation in protecting high conservation value areas while reinforcing sustainable environmental management.

"Through tree-planting activities and ongoing support, we aim to ensure that efforts to protect riverbanks and natural habitats go hand in hand with strengthening the capacity of village communities," he said.

Local community groups have also played a direct role in the initiative. In Tepian Baru Village, the Sempekat Benderang Farmer Group, together with Apical and the Earthworm Foundation, planted around 200 trees along river buffer zones as part of the broader programme target. The trees included fruit crops, agroforestry species and native timber, which are expected to deliver both ecological benefits and economic value for the community.

Romi, head of the Sempekat Benderang Farmer Group, said the activity reflects the village's collective to environmental protection. "We have taken the initiative to protect the riverbanks and the remaining forest areas in our village. By maintaining vegetation cover, we hope the environment will be preserved and continue to provide long-term benefits for the community," he said.

Bahrun, operations manager at the Earthworm Foundation, added that collaboration is essential to ensuring the programme's sustainability. "Active community participation strengthens efforts to protect areas with important ecological value. When communities are involved from the outset, the impact becomes more sustainable," he said.

Beyond tree planting, the SLV programme in East Kutai also includes cacao cultivation on two community land sites, training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for cacao farmers, and the distribution of 55 Plantation Cultivation Registration Certificates (STDB) to oil palm smallholders. These initiatives improve farming practices while strengthening the legal and governance aspects of smallholder plantations.

Through this ongoing collaboration, Apical, a member of the RGE group of companies founded by Sukanto Tanoto, together with the Earthworm Foundation and local communities, aims to strengthen environmental resilience while creating more stable economic opportunities for villages in East Kutai. The initiative forms part of Apical's long-term commitment to supporting sustainable development through partnerships with communities and local stakeholders.
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