ONCE considered crazy by fellow villagers, Indonesian eco-warrior Sadiman has turned barren hills green after 24 years of effort, making water resources available in the drought-prone mountainous region where he lives. “I thought to myself, if I don’t plant banyan trees, this area would become dry, ” said Sadiman, wearing his trademark ranger hat and safari shirt. “In my experience, banyan trees and ficus trees can store a lot of water.”The long and wide-spreading roots of at least 11,000 banyans and ficus trees he has planted over 250ha help to retain groundwater and prevent land erosion. Thanks to his effort, springs have formed where once there was barren and arid land, their water piped to homes and used to irrigate farms. They felt uneasy as they believed there were spirits in these trees, ” Sadiman added.

Source: The Star March 20, 2021 00:43 UTC