Papua Buakan Tanah Kosong
Back when I went to Papua with WWF…
I had no idea I’d come home heartbroken.
The Bird of Paradise, the one I’d only ever seen in photos, was flying far above my head. Way up high. The locals told me they used to fly lower. Used to be braver.
Now they fly higher. Further away.
Because the forest keeps shrinking.
2.5 million hectares of Papua’s rainforest are being cleared. For palm oil. For sugarcane. For the fuel in our cars. The indigenous communities who have lived there for thousands of years were never asked.
I made sago with my own hands. Planted trees. Sat in classrooms with Papuan children. And I realized, everything I witnessed is under threat.
“This land is not empty. People were born and died here.”
Papua holds a very special place in my heart. And I hope after knowing this, it holds one in yours too.
Because if not us, then who?
