Universitas Nasional Held The Workshop on the Potential of Tropical Plants in Citalahab Sentral Village

Universitas Nasional (UNAS) held a Workshop on the Potential of Tropical Plants for Health from July 2 to 4, 2022, in Citalahab Sentral Village, near the Gunung Halimun Salak National Park.

This workshop is organized in collaboration with Rutgers University, the Center for Botanicals and Chronic Diseases (CBCD), Universitas Pancasila, and Universitas Sriwijaya. It was supported by the NIH Fogarty International Center and the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research.

Dr. Tatang Mitra Setia, M.Si., the event coordinator, stated during the workshop introduction held at the Seminar Room, 3rd Floor, UNAS Tower, Ragunan, on Thursday (June 30): “UNAS will hold a workshop in Citalahab Sentral Village, near Gunung Halimun Salak National Park, in collaboration with several institutions. Today’s session is intended to provide a general overview of the workshop that will take place from July 2 to 4.  He further explained that Cikaniki Resort, the venue for the workshop, offers beautiful morning views, a wide variety of plants, and several homestays that will accommodate both organizers and participants.

UNAS Vice-Rector for Research, Community Service, and Partnerships, Prof. Dr. Ernawati Sinaga, M.S., Apt., also noted that the workshop introduction included presentations on Tropical Plants for Health by Dr. Sri Endarti Rahayu, M.Si., and Dra. Noverita, M.Si., from UNAS, and Prof. Dr. Ilya Raskin from Rutgers University. “Besides introducing Cikaniki Resort as the workshop site, we also aim to provide an overview of Tropical Plants for Health as an opening session that will serve as a reference for the main workshop topics,” said Prof. Ernawati.

Moderated by Dr. Nonon Saribanon, M.Si., Head of LPPM UNAS, the event continued with three main presentations:

• Tropical Plants for Medicinal Purposes by Dr. Sri Endarti Rahayu, M.Si.
• Tropical Macro-Fungi for Medicinal Purposes by Dra. Noverita, M.Si.
• Introduction to the GIBEX Method by Prof. Dr. Ilya Raskin.

One of the speakers, Dr. Sri Endarti Rahayu, emphasized that many medicinal plants in Indonesia face the threat of extinction, highlighting the need to prioritize species for conservation planning. “At least 80% of medicinal plant species in Southeast Asia are found in Indonesia. However, current conservation efforts are ineffective due to limited human and financial resources. By assessing factors such as species status and rarity, we can identify and prioritize medicinal plant species in Indonesia for effective conservation planning,” she explained.

The event was mentored by Prof. Dr. Vyacheslav (Slavik) Dushenkov, Dr. Sarah Skubel, Ms. Isabel Armas from Rutgers University, and attended by students from UNAS, Universitas Pancasila, and Universitas Sriwijaya.