Kuningan regency, assisted by the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), has expanded an aerial tramway and botanical garden since 2019 with an investment worth IDR 99 billion.
The regency, which capital has the same name of Kuningan, is part of West Java province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,178.58 square kilometers. Its population was 1,198,814 people in 2021. Demographically, most of the citizens are Muslims with a percentage of 99.28%.
Established in 1973, the BKPM is an Indonesian government institution that deals with investment projects and are responsible for implementing policy and coordinating investment projects in Indonesia. Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia currently is leading the board since 2021.
Community pride
The botanical garden project is part of BKPM’s 47 investment projects. The project has existed since 2019 with an investment value of around IDR 99 billion and an interest rate of return (IRR) of 13.21% and a net present value (NPV) of IDR 842.88 million and a payback period of 5 years.
Kuningan regency began developing the area into a conservation area in 2010. At that time, the project only started with constructing roads heading to the Kuningan Botanical Garden in Pada Beunghar village, Pasawahan district.
The development is intended to refer to the economic development of the community. Botanical Gardens can serve as a community pride and useful as conservation education for various levels of society. In the garden, there are rare plants and inhabited by various kinds of animals.
Natural disasters as a big challenge
However, the project development has faced as it is located in disaster-prone area. Natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, landslides, floods and tectonic shift as well as earthquakes. The geographical location of the area is surrounded by hills and Mount Ciremai.
Kuningan Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Head, Indra Bayu, said on September 22, 2020, there were 15 subdistricts which were prone to disasters. They are Kadugede, Karangkancana, Selajambe, Nusaherang, Hantara, Darma, Subang, Cilebak, Ciniru, Ciwaru, Cimahi Cibeureum, Cibingbin, Luragung and Cidahu subdistricts.
In addition, the regency’s geographical location on the Baribis Fault, such as the Ciremai segment, makes the area prone to earthquakes and ground movement. Although it occurs periodically, disasters such as landslides and floods are more prone to occur. The government has anticipated it by building a number of waterways for flooding in the Cijangkelok river.
