The Korea Forest Service has successfully brought the nation’s advanced expertise in the forest leisure industry and ecological tourism to Indonesia, widening the scope of environmental cooperation between the two nations.

KFS, the state agency for afforestation and forest resources, invited around 30 islanders of Lombok, a global vacation venue in Indonesia, to learn Korea’s latest green leisure know-how. The five-day instruction program was held from Aug. 24 to 28, pinning high hopes on maximizing the tourist value of the lush Indonesian island.

The tutorial offered a variety of lectures and on-site training for forest tour guides, craftsmen and butterfly breeders. In addition, the program introduced Korea’s historical New Village Movement, an agricultural development plan that aroused the widespread social participation of farming communities.

Earlier in the first half of this year, a group of high-profile forest authorities of Indonesia also participated in KFS’ program.

The educational program is part of the Korea-Indonesia cooperative agreement signed by the governmental forest agencies in 2013, the 40th anniversary of Korea-Indonesia diplomatic ties. According to the agreement, Korea and Indonesia support the active exchange of expertise on forest-related industries, including forest-healing leisure plans and living-ecology tourism.

KFS’ tutorial aims at contributing to Indonesia’s master plan to invigorate the forest-related tourism industries of Lombok. According to the master plan, Indonesia will establish environmentally friendly tourist facilities for forest healing and ecological tourism in Tunac on Lombok Island by 2018.

As a nation with mountainous areas taking up more than 70 percent of the entire territory, Korea has accumulated rich experience and knowledge in forest tourism, according to the KFS.

“The tutorial programs focus on the sustainable growth of (Lombok’s) local economy, rather than an instant development of a single tourist program,” a KFS official said.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)