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Prigi Arisandi Embarks on River Tour, Raising Awareness for Indonesia’s Plastic Problem

River

April 13, 2022

Prigi Arisandi (Indonesia, 2011) has embarked on a 300-day tour of Indonesia’s rivers, documenting the status of 68 unique waterways.

Starting on March 1, 2022, the journey will take Prigi and his team at Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation Foundation (Ecoton) across 68 rivers spanning the entire Indonesian archipelago, from Sumatra to Papua. Many of the rivers are threatened by sewage and microplastics, pollution that eventually becomes marine waste. According to Amirudin Mutaquin, Ecoton’s senior research lead, “as much as 80 percent of plastic waste in marine waters comes from rivers.”

2011 Goldman Environmental Prize winner Prigi Arisandi with local students. (Photo: Raditya)

In addition to monitoring the condition of the various rivers, the expedition also invites people to protect the rivers and emphasizes their importance to the region. Uniting community members, scientists, journalists, and students, Ecoton has planned educational opportunities along the way. Ecoton is also accompanied by a team of documentary filmmakers.

Follow along with Prigi’s expedition through this blog and support his journey here.

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