ULM Educates Younger Generation about Biodiversity Through the Lecturer Service Program
MARTAPURA – Lambung Mangkurat University (ULM) continues to strengthen its role in environmental conservation through the Lecturer Service Program. This time, a team of lecturers from the Department of Biology Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, ULM, invited students to learn more about the biodiversity in the Lembah Bukit Manjai Tropical Rainforest Biodiversity Park in Banjar Regency.
The two-day activity, Monday–Tuesday (August 25–26, 2025), involved 30 students from SMAN Karang Intan I Mandiangin and 10 students from the ULM Biology Education Department. Participants were invited to explore the forest area, identify tropical plants, and participate in conservation activities such as tree planting and installing information boards about plant species.
One of the team members, Dr. Amalia Rezeki, M.Pd., who is also the founder of the Lembah Bukit Manjai Biodiversity Park, emphasized the importance of introducing local plants to the younger generation.
“This biodiversity park has a large collection of local fruit plants, some of which are becoming rare and even endemic to Kalimantan, so they need to be known and preserved,” she said.
The school also expressed appreciation. Siti Holdah, a teacher at SMAN Karang Intan I, considered this activity very beneficial for her students.
“Hopefully, students will be more concerned and understand the importance of preserving tropical rainforests,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dewi Amelia Widiyastuti, S.Si., M.Pd., Head of the ULM Lecturer Team, emphasized the importance of early education to foster environmental awareness.
“This socialization of tropical plant identification is important so that students and university students become more familiar with the richness of biodiversity and are encouraged to play a role in conservation,” she explained.
This program is run by a team of lecturers consisting of Dewi Amelia Widiyastuti, Amalia Rezeki, Luthfiana Nurtamara, Sri Amintarti, and Nurul Aulia. Through hands-on field activities, they hope that the younger generation will not only understand biodiversity theoretically but also develop an emotional connection to their surroundings.
With this Lecturer Compulsory Service program, ULM emphasizes its role as a university that makes a real contribution to supporting the conservation and preservation of Kalimantan’s tropical rainforests.
