Universitas Islam Sultan Agung (UNISSULA) supports environmental education for local communities through community-based programmes that strengthen understanding of ecosystems, biodiversity, and the sustainable use of natural landscapes.

In 2025, UNISSULA carried out a community-based ecosystem education programme in Manggihan Village, Getasan, Semarang Regency. The programme combined field observation, participatory discussion, community engagement, and environmental planning. Its educational content included the local ecosystem of Manggihan, tourism forests, natural vegetation, wild flora and fauna, biodiversity, habitats, and the importance of maintaining ecological functions while supporting sustainable village development.

The programme involved local community stakeholders and was provided free of charge, allowing participating community members to take part in ecosystem education and discussion without any participation fee.

Community-Based Ecosystem Education

The programme was designed to bring university knowledge directly into the community.

UNISSULA lecturers and students worked with local stakeholders through field activities and participatory discussions to explore the relationship between the natural environment and the future development of Manggihan Village.

Rather than discussing village development only from an economic or infrastructure perspective, the programme introduced an ecosystem-based approach that considers forests, vegetation, wildlife, biodiversity, water resources, landscape characteristics, and human activities as interconnected components.

The programme therefore helped participants understand that sustainable village development requires maintaining the ecological systems that support the community.

Learning About the Manggihan Ecosystem

Manggihan is located in an environmentally significant landscape associated with the highland environment of the Getasan area.

During the programme, discussions addressed the ecological characteristics of the village and the importance of maintaining its natural environment.

Educational topics included:

• The local ecosystem and natural landscape
• Tourism forests and forest-related environmental functions
• Local vegetation and wild flora
• Wild fauna and their habitats
• Biodiversity and ecological balance
• The relationship between vegetation, wildlife, water, and land
• Environmental conservation
• Sustainable use of natural areas for community-based development

The programme encouraged participants to understand the ecosystem as an interconnected system rather than viewing individual natural resources separately.

Education on Tourism Forests

One of the subjects discussed with the community was the role of tourism forests within the environmental and economic development of Manggihan.

Forest and semi-natural areas can provide opportunities for nature-based tourism, environmental education, and community economic development. However, these activities need to be managed in ways that maintain natural vegetation, habitat quality, biodiversity, and ecological functions.

The programme therefore encouraged an approach in which tourism development does not replace environmental conservation.

Participants discussed the importance of maintaining forest characteristics while using natural landscapes responsibly for educational and tourism activities.

Understanding Wild Flora

Education about the local ecosystem included discussion of wild flora and natural vegetation occurring in and around Manggihan.

Vegetation was discussed not simply as part of the physical appearance of the landscape, but as an important component of ecosystem function.

Natural and semi-natural vegetation can contribute to:

• Habitat provision
• Soil protection
• Water regulation
• Landscape stability
• Biodiversity
• The ecological character of tourism areas

Through the programme, community participants were encouraged to recognise the importance of conserving local vegetation when planning future tourism and village-development activities.

Understanding Wild Fauna and Habitat

The programme also addressed wild fauna and the habitats required to support animal life.

Community education emphasised that wildlife depends on the continued availability of suitable vegetation, food sources, water, shelter, and habitat connectivity.

Wild fauna therefore cannot be considered separately from forest condition and vegetation management.

The relationship can be understood as:

Vegetation → habitat → food and shelter → fauna → ecosystem biodiversity

By discussing these relationships, the programme strengthened community understanding of why the conservation of natural areas is important for both plant and animal biodiversity.

Biodiversity as Part of Village Development

Biodiversity was integrated into discussions about the future development of Manggihan.

The programme encouraged participants to consider how development decisions may affect natural habitats and ecological functions.

This included the importance of maintaining a balance between:

Community development → tourism → land use → ecosystem conservation → biodiversity

An ecosystem-based approach helps ensure that development opportunities do not unnecessarily reduce natural vegetation, disturb wildlife habitats, or weaken the environmental character that makes nature-based tourism possible.

Field-Based Ecosystem Observation

Environmental education was supported by direct field observation.

UNISSULA lecturers and students visited locations within Manggihan together with local partners to observe environmental conditions and understand the relationship between settlements, natural landscapes, vegetation, tourism potential, and community activities.

Field observation enabled ecosystem education to be linked with actual local conditions.

Rather than relying solely on classroom-style explanation, participants and the university team could discuss environmental issues in relation to the landscape in which the community lives.

Photo documentation:

UNISSULA team and local partners conducting field observation in Manggihan Village as part of the 2025 community-based ecosystem education programme.

Participatory Community Education and Discussion

Field observation was complemented by educational presentations and participatory discussions.

UNISSULA presented and discussed environmental information with community stakeholders, providing an opportunity to connect field findings with planning and conservation considerations.

Topics included the natural environment of Manggihan, tourism forests, flora and fauna, ecosystem conservation, biodiversity, and environmentally responsible village development.

This participatory approach allowed local knowledge and academic perspectives to be discussed together.

Photo documentation:

Community education and participatory discussion on the Manggihan ecosystem, including tourism forests, wild flora and fauna, biodiversity, and sustainable village development.

Working with Local Community Stakeholders

The programme involved interaction with local community stakeholders rather than being limited to university students.

Community engagement included village representatives and local groups involved in the development and management of Manggihan.

This approach is important because ecosystem conservation ultimately depends on the people who interact with and manage the surrounding landscape.

By working directly with community stakeholders, UNISSULA supported the transfer of environmental knowledge into local planning and stewardship.

Free Access for the Local Community

All ecosystem education, field observation, participatory discussion, and community-engagement activities within the programme were provided free of charge to participating members of the local community.

No participation fee was required.

Providing free access ensured that environmental education was available to community participants without a financial barrier and strengthened the programme’s role as a community-service initiative.

Integrating Conservation and Sustainable Tourism

The programme also connected ecosystem education with sustainable tourism development.

Nature-based tourism depends on maintaining the environmental qualities that attract visitors in the first place.

For this reason, community participants were encouraged to consider conservation as an essential component of tourism development.

A sustainable approach can be represented as:

Healthy ecosystem → conserved flora and fauna → attractive natural landscape → responsible tourism → community benefit → continued conservation

This creates a relationship in which environmental protection and community development reinforce each other.

Building Community Awareness of Ecosystem Stewardship

The programme aimed to strengthen understanding that the natural environment is a shared resource requiring long-term stewardship.

Community members were encouraged to consider the consequences of land-use change, habitat disturbance, vegetation loss, and poorly planned tourism development.

At the same time, the programme highlighted opportunities for village development that retain natural landscape characteristics and biodiversity.

This helps strengthen a community-based approach to environmental stewardship.

Evidence of Implementation

1. UNISSULA conducted a community-based educational programme in Manggihan Village in 2025, combining field observation, environmental education, participatory discussion, and community engagement.
2. The programme provided education on local ecosystems, including the relationship between land, vegetation, biodiversity, wildlife, and community activities.
3. Tourism forests were specifically discussed as natural areas that should be managed in a way that supports both environmental conservation and sustainable community development.
4. Wild flora and natural vegetation were included in the educational content, with discussion of their importance for habitat, ecological functions, and landscape conservation.
5. Wild fauna and wildlife habitats were also discussed, helping community participants understand the relationship between animal biodiversity and the condition of surrounding vegetation and ecosystems.
6. The programme included direct field observation, enabling ecosystem education to be connected with actual environmental conditions in Manggihan.
7. Participatory education and discussion involved local community stakeholders, connecting university expertise with local knowledge and environmental priorities.
8. All programme activities were provided free of charge to participating local community members, with no participation fee required.
9. Photographic documentation records both field-based activities and an educational presentation/discussion session, demonstrating implementation of the community programme.