TIMESINDONESIA, PASURUAN – God creates the uniqueness and the beauty of Mount Bromo. The beauty of Mount Bromo can be seen in the harmony of flora, fauna, and the local wisdom of Tengger tribe in the area of Mount Bromo, including Edelweiss.
Edelweiss, which is also called as ‘eternal flower’, becomes one of the plants that is in harmony with the life in the area of Mount Bromo.
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To Tengger tribe community, Edelweiss is one of the most important media for the traditional rituals in Tengger.
Initially, Tengger community was not worried about the extinction of Edelweiss in the area of Mount Bromo. But, along with the tourism and economic development, Edelweiss is not just a ritual media for Tengger society. Some of the people thing that Edelweiss has economical value.
The tourists or the nature lovers that sometimes pluck the wild Edelweiss flowers growing there leads to the rapid decrease of the flower population in the few last years.
Moreover, there is a group of people hunting for Edelweiss to be sold in the city. The price of one bunch of flowers is promising for extra income.
The awareness to conserve this flower began to grow in Tengger society. A group of farmers named Kelompok Tani Bunga Edelweiss of Wonokitri village consisting of 30 people tried to conserve Edelweiss flowers.
They do the flower nursery and flower planting together by starting from their houses with self-funding.
Initially, they saw a unique phenomenon after Mount Bromo caught fire some time ago. There was some Edelweiss growing around the dead Edelweiss.
Wartono, one of the members of the group, said that he saw that phenomenon. It made him sure that Edelweiss could be conserved or bred.
Finally, they told the people in Balai Besar TNBTS (Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park). Is it right that Edelweiss can be conserved? “We finally got the answer that Edelweiss can be planted by using the dry seed of Edelweiss,” said Wartono.
Next, said Wartono, he and his friends tried to do the flower nursery and succeeded. “The success was highly appreciated by Balai Besar TNBTS by forming and authorizing the Edelweiss farmer group of Wonokitri village, Tosari, Pasuruan,” he said.
Wartono hoped that the effort of Edelweiss farmer group would raise the awareness of Tengger society about the importance of Edelweiss conservation.
Edelweiss is an identity in Tengger culture. If it is extinct, Tengger society will also lose its identity.
Besides, considering that Edelweiss has a long growth period and high economic value, Edelweiss conservation is the right solution. The conservation of this eternal flower will be a potential revenue for Tengger society. (*)
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| Publisher | : Sholihin Nur |
