Banua Botanical Garden protects thousands of plants from wildfires
Banjarbaru (ANTARA) - Banua Botanical Garden in South Kalimantan is stepping up fire prevention and plant care to protect its conservation collection amid an extreme dry season.
Rahmat Maidiyanto, head of the garden's technical management unit, said the conservation area was affected by a fire originating outside its boundaries in July, before the dry season peaked.
"The most recent fire occurred in July, before the dry season peaked, but it came from an area bordering the forest," Maidiyanto said here on Wednesday.
Banua Botanical Garden is a 100-hectare conservation area managed by the South Kalimantan provincial government.
It is a member of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and won Indonesia's top award for botanical garden management and development in 2025.
The garden has more than 3,000 plant species, including medicinal plants, orchids, rare species and native or endemic flora such as ulin ironwood, kasturi, meranti, cinnamon, and various pitcher plants.
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Fires in surrounding areas remain a concern, although the latest incident did not spread far into the garden, limiting damage to the conservation area, Maidiyanto said.
Managers are strengthening plant care to mitigate drought by repairing irrigation lines, maximizing water-truck use, and drilling holes in the soil to help water reach plant roots.
He described the current drought as extreme and drier than the 2019-2020 period, saying some plants in the collection had suffered severe drought stress despite continued watering efforts.
Managers have asked staff to closely monitor and care for plants in their assigned zones, checking their condition regularly and providing treatment as needed.
"Our strategy is to maximize watering and encourage colleagues to give plants in their assigned zones extra care and attention. If we do not look after them, who will?" Maidiyanto said.
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Translator: Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fransiska Ninditya
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