TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo visited several tourist sites in Yogyakarta, Friday, September 28. After visiting the Yogya Palace in the morning, Jokowi left for Mangunan Pine Forest in Dlingo district, Bantul regency, Yogyakarta.

Jokowi lauded the beauty of the pine forest, which was located 25 kilometers south of Yogyakarta.

“I usually see Mangunan Forest on Instagram, and now that I see it closely, this forest is indeed instagrammable,” the President said.

Jokowi acknowledged the pine forest was popular among the youths. “The youths come here to take photos and upload them on social media,” he added.

Read: Govt Finalizes First State of Indonesia`s Forest Publication

The president further said that Indonesia's forests were the ninth largest in the world, for which Indonesians should be grateful as the pines had become a living source for the locals and proved useful in cutting carbon emission.

“The forests of Indonesia are the lungs of the world,” he noted, suggesting that the locals could benefit from the forests by establishing groups of Integrated Forest Management (KPH).

“I have been asking the minister (of the Environment and Forestry) to maintain the activation of the KPH program so the public will prosper from the forests,” he said.

Meanwhile, a local named Ashari Tukimin (56) who lived in Dlingo, Bantul, admitted the regional economy had increased from the tourism sector of Mangunan Pine Forest as well as the silkworm cultivation.

PRIBADI WICAKSONO