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Nur Syamsi Muhammad: A Forest Guide who Bridges Korea and Indonesia 

Nur Syamsi Muhammad, who is currently working for Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, completed Yeungnam University’s forest guide accreditation program and was certified as Korea’s first foreign forest guide. Since returning to his native Indonesia, Muhammad continues to think about how to better care for Indonesia’s mountains and trees and how to live in true harmony with nature. For its March issue, the ACH got to know more about Muhammad, whose biggest wish is to make people happier through the forest.

Q. How did you decide to become a forest guide?

I irst learned about the forest guide accreditation program from Professor Ju-hyoung Lee of Yeungnam University’s Department of Forest Resources and Landscape Architecture. I was surprised by the fact that Korea’s forests are undamaged while being able to give people jobs and became increasingly curious about the forest guide program. Indonesians are just now beginning to realize the importance of natural preservation. Many, including myself, visit forests in order to enjoy nature. People love forests, each for their own reasons. I find that just standing in a forest is itself stress-relieving. Eventually, I decided to become a forest guide through a combination of personal curiosity and outside help.

Q. We heard that, in order to become a forest guide, you not only did 30 hours of practical training but completed all 170 hours of the training program. Can you tell us more about the program that you did a trial demonstration of for foreigners and multicultural families in Korea?

I designed a program that aims to help multicultural families adjust to Korean culture and Korea’s environment. It included walks in a forest to hear its sounds and breathe in its scents as well as games that required inding some of the many leaves that exist in a forest. There was also a section on Korean culture: participants played tuho, the Korean folk game of throwing arrows into a narrow container.

Q. Are there forest guides in Indonesia? What areas in forestry do you wish to develop further?

As far as I know, Indonesia does not yet have any forest guides. The Indonesia Tourism Ofice operates some related programs, but even these are quite general and multi-purpose rather than being specialized on forests or forestry. I will be using the knowledge on forestry that I gained in Korea to design programs for locals. I will be working with the Korea Indonesia Forest Center to see if we can establish a forest guide program that is similar to Korea’s.

Q. What are your goal and hopes for the future?

Above all, I want locals to enjoy all of the good things that a forest has to offer without feeling the need to cut down trees. In Indonesia, millions live near forests, but it is mostly in sub-standard conditions. I want to play a part in eradicating poverty by showing people how to use forests without destroying them.