Depok, October 24, 2023. As the best university in Indonesia according to UI GreenMetric 2022, the University of Indonesia (UI) is committed to continuously maintaining the quality of the campus environment, including preserving the biodiversity that lives in UI’s lakes. Within the Depok campus area, UI has six artificial lakes: Kenanga Lake, Aghatis Lake, Mahoni Lake, Puspa Lake, Ulin Lake, and Salam Lake, often abbreviated as KAMPUS. These six lakes play a role in preserving biodiversity and providing a clean water supply for the animals that live on the UI campus area.
Not only does it serve as a habitat for diverse biota, but the artificial lake at UI also serves as a water catchment area, benefiting not only UI but also the Depok region. The lake’s presence in the UI area supports the Depok region’s environmental carrying capacity, mitigating the impact of flooding during the rainy season and providing water during droughts. Furthermore, the UI lake also contributes to regulating the microclimate in Depok City, as it relates to the hydrological cycle.
However, to maintain the stability of Lake UI’s function, several challenges must be addressed. These include water pollution, lake silting due to sedimentation from the surrounding environment, aquatic weed growth, algae growth due to waste pollution, and the introduction of invasive species, which impact the biodiversity habitat.
To find a solution to this problem, the UI Occupational Health and Safety (K3L) Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) held an activity called “Monitoring and Evaluation of Freshwater Ecosystem Conservation in the UI Campus Environment” on Thursday (19/10) in the Auditorium Room, ILRC UI Building. The activity presented two lecturers from the Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) UI, namely Drs. Erwin Nurdin, M.Si., and Drs. Wisnu Wardhana, M.Si.
According to Erwin, water pollution is one factor affecting the health of aquatic ecosystems. Pollution of the UI Lake waters is caused by human activities outside the UI environment, such as the disposal of waste from workshops or the release of agricultural pesticides and other chemicals into the lake. This damages the lake’s ecosystem, impacting the diverse biota that live there.
In fact, according to Wisnu, there are 31 species of fish living in Lake UI. If the pollution continues, there are concerns that the populations of several fauna species will decline, such as the golden apple snail and the mussel, which have already disappeared. “Currently, the janitor fish is the dominant species in Lake UI’s waters,” Wisnu said.
To protect and preserve freshwater ecosystems, Wisnu revealed that UI has implemented various measures. First, preventing the release of fish species. Second, limiting the spread and isolating invasive fish by prioritizing the maintenance of native fish. Third, restoring contaminated or damaged waters and prohibiting the maintenance of invasive fish within UI’s environment.
These freshwater ecosystem conservation activities are part of UI’s efforts to maintain ecosystem sustainability. This is closely related to the points contained in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The focus of conservation activities in point 15, Life on Land, has been shown to influence other SDG points, namely point 6, Clean Water and Sanitation, point 13, Climate Action, and point 14, Life Below Water. It is hoped that these conservation measures will increase and become a priority in the development of UI’s future environmental policies.
