VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOI, Jakarta -  The Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN) has agreed to collaborate with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) on strengthening biodiversity data and information databases to support the development of the new national capital Nusantara.

OIKN head Bambang Susantono and BRIN head Laksana Tri Handoko signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the cooperation at the OIKN Office here on Thursday.

"Nusantara will be a city development model that prioritizes collaborative principles," Susantono said.

The results of research and expeditions carried out by BRIN will strengthen the database and information needed for developing Indonesia's new capital, he added.

BRIN's collaboration with OIKN will include research on biodiversity, environmental governance, culture, archeology, and technology.

In 2024, BRIN will carry out an interdisciplinary expedition on the island of Kalimantan, including the area where Nusantara is being built.

Like BRIN's previous expedition in Papua near the border with Papua New Guinea, the expedition to Kalimantan Island will involve researchers from several fields, including biology, archeology, and geology.

"We are focusing on Kalimantan and Nusantara because it is part of the Wallace Line, there is an area where we have never carried out an expedition," Handoko informed.

He added that the expedition aims to make new findings on animals and plants that can enrich BRIN's knowledge.

Earlier, BRIN informed that 20 percent of power generation in Nusantara city will come from green hydrogen by 2038.

The use of green hydrogen in Nusantara is one of the efforts to achieve net-zero emissions (NZE) by 2060, based on President Joko Widodo's directive.

In addition, other potential non-carbon-producing energy sources will also be used for generating power in Nusantara.

In order to enhance the local economy around the Nusantara development area, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry recently restored a former mining site in Wonosari village, Penajam Paser Utara, so that it can be developed as an ecotourism area.(Antaranews)