IFEES is part of the Green Indonesia movement in Indonesia
and the proceeds of this dinner will go towards a tree
planting programme at the base of which will be the
huge network of madrasas spread throughout the length
and breath of the country. The idea behind this initiative
is to link UK based schools as supporters of this
initiative. Present at this meeting will be Fachruddin
Mangunjaya one of the most prominent environmentalists
in Indonesia who is also the IFEES representative
in that country.

Indonesia is one of the most bio diverse regions in the
world. It is facing a massive threat from logging operations
which could destroy the habitat of endangered Sumatran
tigers, orang-utans, elephants and a myriad other
species mostly unknown to the outside world. Between
1985 and 2007, the island of Sumatra alone lost 12
million hectares of natural forest; a 48 percent
loss over 22 years. Despite the commitment of the
Indonesian Government to protect areas of high
conservation value the rape of its rainforests
continue. The point is, as a carbon sink Indonesia’s
forest reserves are a valuable asset to the entire
planet and it is in all our interests to protect it.
It will clearly be seen internationally as a
contribution by a Muslim country to reverse
the processes of climate change.

There are many agencies in Indonesia tackling this problem
the most important of which is the ten thousand strong
network of madrasas known as pesantrens. IFEES has been
working with this group for a number of years the highlight
of which was the colloquium of scholars it organized in
2007 in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment.

The pesantren movement is now initiating a massive Indonesian
tree planting campaign that seeks the support of UK schools.
UK schools will pledge to support rural madrasas in
Indonesia to plant trees in denuded forest areas
adjacent to or near the villages they are located in.
For £5 each tree will be nurtured from the day of its
planting for three years until they are strong enough
to fend for themselves. The supporting UK schools will
have a permanent board erected in the reclaimed area
acknowledging its support and there will also be long
term prospects for twinning and fraternal relations
with Indonesian counterparts.

After more than twenty years of endeavour IFEES has
established itself as the leading, if not the only,
Islam oriented environmental agency in the world. It
is now working in Indonesia with the Durrell Institute
for Conservation and Ecology (Kent University) in
introducing Islamic environmental ethics to conservation
programmes in West Sumatra and advising the Acenese
regional government in its Green Aceh programme. It
is also now negotiating with the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office concerning the setting up of a
programme in Indonesia which will be the basis of
getting Muslim countries to support the international
discussions on Climate Change, and US Aid on introducing
Islamic ethics in a South Asian Marine Conservation
programme. As a recognition of his work IFEES’ founder,
Fazlun Khalid, has been invited by the Secretary General
of the UN to participate in round table discussions with
world leaders at the UN on 22 September.

For more information please contact us on:
Tel: 01283 529767 / 0779 160 2107 / 07931 783915
E-mail: info@ifees.org.uk
Website: www.ifees.org.uk