Indonesia, June 14 -- Environment Minister Moh. Jumhur Hidayat launched a national bamboo planting movement on Sunday, to accelerate the rehabilitation of 12.4 million hectares of critical land across Indonesia.

The restoration initiative is integrated into the government's ongoing "national ecological repentance" program, which aims to recover degraded natural ecosystems.

"This environmental movement is not just a government movement; it is ultimately a community movement," Minister Jumhur stated during a bamboo planting event with the Indonesian Bamboo Foundation in Cibinong, Bogor Regency, West Java.

While Sunday's launch in West Java saw the planting of roughly 5,000 bamboo trees, the minister revealed that the government is aiming...