Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) have agreed to establish academic and research collaborations in tropical forest management. The cooperation agreement was signed at UGM on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
The agreement was signed by Dr. Danang Sri Hadmoko, UGM Vice-Rector for Research, Business Development, and Cooperation, and Professor Datuk Dr. Kasim Hj. Mansor, Vice-Chancellor of UMS.
The collaboration will focus on tropical biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource management, and ecosystem restoration.
In addition to faculty and student exchange programs, the partnership includes joint publications, research, co-supervision, and the organization of seminars, conferences, symposiums, lectures, and other academic discussions.
Professor Mansor noted that of Sabah’s total area of 7.4 million hectares, approximately 63 percent, or 4.6 million hectares, comprises forested regions.
3.8 million hectares, or 52 percent of the state’s area, are legally designated as protected forests, parks, and wildlife conservation zones.
“We are very pleased with this collaboration, especially as it will involve many experts from UGM in tropical biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource management, and ecosystem restoration,” he explained.
He also expressed pride in UMS’s Faculty of Tropical Forestry, currently ranked as Malaysia’s second most prominent forestry faculty after Universiti Putra Malaysia.
According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject, UMS’s Agriculture and Forestry program is ranked #251 globally.
Given the extensive forest cover in Sabah, UMS recognizes the need for multisectoral and collaborative approaches.
Located in Sabah’s ecologically rich and biodiverse state, UMS remains committed to upholding a strong research culture.
“We are dedicated to sustainability and fostering a dynamic and multicultural academic community. From the beginning, UMS has committed to becoming a center of excellence in education and research, aiming to nurture minds and make a real impact on society,” he stated.
Previously, UMS collaborated specifically with the UGM Faculty of Forestry by sending representatives to participate in the annual Forestry Summer Course hosted by UGM.
The UGM Faculty of Forestry has routinely invited speakers and lecturers from UMS for the past three years.
In addition, UMS has sent both undergraduate and postgraduate students.
“The UGM Faculty of Forestry made its first academic visit to UMS’s Faculty of Tropical Forestry on March 6–7, 2024,” he added.
Dr. Hadmoko noted the many research similarities between UGM and UMS, particularly as both universities are located in tropical forest regions.
He stated that the UGM Faculty of Forestry has been active in research and community service related to forest management.
In fact, the faculty is entrusted with managing over 10,000 hectares of educational forest in Central Java.
In the 1960s, UGM also successfully reforested barren land in Gunung Kidul into the well-managed Wanagama Forest.
“Recently, we received a government grant to manage 600 hectares of forest in Kalimantan’s Nusantara Capital (IKN) region. We are currently building a reservoir, research facilities, and student dormitories. Once the construction is complete, we hope to invite you to join our community, explore our ecosystem, and join our research efforts,” he said.
He added that world leaders have developed various strategies for addressing urgent global issues such as climate change, not only through technology but also through the management of tropical forests.
Recent research now goes beyond carbon and increasingly focuses on the biodiversity crisis.
“I believe this is something we must consider together. These are urgent issues due to climate change, and nature-based and ecosystem-based approaches must be developed and applied across different regions of Indonesia. That is why we warmly welcome this collaboration with UMS,” he concluded.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Photographer: Firsto