Batangtoru, 30 April 2023 – PT Agincourt Resources (PTAR), the operator of the Martabe Gold Mine, supports the opening of “lubuk larangan” on the Garoga River, Garoga Village, Batangtoru Sub-district, South Tapanuli District, Sunday (30/04). PTAR released 17,000 fingerlings of jurung fish and carps into the Garoga River in August 2022, resulting in the harvesting of the fish..
This support is one of PTAR’s efforts with the community to preserve biodiversity and local wisdom of “lubuk larangan” in the area around the mine. People still maintain “Lubuk Larangan” today as a form of nature conservation and to preserve the river, due to its hereditary cultural significance.
Apart from providing fish seeds, PTAR also planted 1,000 productive tree seedlings, such as durian, avocado, saman, mango, mangosteen, hibiscus trees, and also bamboos on the banks of the Garoga River. This effort aims to mitigate river flow damage and abrasion in Garoga Village and its surroundings, and also to reduce the risk of Garoga River overflow.
Mara Tinggi Siregar, the Head of Batangtoru Sub-district, stated that maintaining “lubuk larangan” is crucial to preserve the river from pollution, destruction, and over-exploitation as it represents local wisdom.
“Apart from that, “Lubuk Larangan” can also boost the village economy in terms of tourism. He pointed out that Garoga Village, supported by PTAR, can attract visitors from other areas not only due to its strategic location but also because of its clean and clear river.
He hopes that other villages with rivers will duplicate the “Lubuk Larangan” custom in the future.
According to the Head of Garoga Village, Risman Rambe, during the opening of “Lubuk Larangan”, the committee sold tickets at the price of IDR 100,000 for people who wanted to fish in the Garoga River. A total of 250 tickets were sold in this activity.
They will allocate a portion of the ticket sales proceeds to purchase new seeds and fish feed. They will use a part of the ticket sales proceeds for social activities such as donating to orphans, the elderly, and the poor, as well as for the necessities of a mosque in Garoga Village.
Meanwhile, Masdar Muda, PTAR Community Relations Manager said, the support provided by PTAR aims to preserve “Lubuk Larangan” custom and breed the jurung fish as an endemic species of South Tapanuli and other freshwater fish as a form of ecosystem conservation and river biodiversity.
“We hope that this program will encourage the awakening of public awareness in preserving river ecosystems and biodiversity, economically increase village income, and encourage village communities to develop village tourism and promote village potential,” he concluded.
Suratmin, a resident of Hapesong Baru Village, said that he deliberately came to Garoga Village to take part in the jurung fishing activity. He admitted that last year he took part in a similar activity in Garoga Village.
“I’ve been at the location since 7 in the morning. Hopefully today we can get a lot of fish,” he said.
Apart from Garoga Village, PTAR also supports “Lubuk Larangan” custom in Batu Horing Village, Batangtoru Sub-district, South Tapanuli District. In June 2022, PTAR released 15,000 fingerlings of jurung and tilapia fish to the Batu Horing River.
