The forestry sector is currently facing significant challenges, including deforestation, land degradation, and global climate change, which are having a profound impact on ecosystems. Indonesia has reaffirmed its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2060, which is an ambitious target that can only be met if the forestry and land-use sectors play a strategic role.
The issue was discussed in the National Seminar titled “Reinventing Forestry Higher Education: The Science and Design of Future Forestry Education”, held on Thursday (Oct. 16) at the auditorium of the Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada (Forestry UGM).
Dean of Forestry UGM, Dr. Sigit Sunarta, stated that as a university with a national mandate, UGM is committed to making forestry education a locomotive for national transformation toward sustainable development. He emphasized that the current era of technological disruption and artificial intelligence (AI) is a crucial factor that cannot be ignored.
According to Dr. Sunarta, technology is not merely a tool but a paradigm-shifting force in natural resource governance, environmental monitoring, and real-time socio-ecological management.
“Forestry higher education must evolve. We should not only produce graduates with ecological, silvicultural, or forestry policy expertise, but also those who are adaptive, transformative, and sensitive to social justice, economic sustainability, and technological advancement,” he asserted.
Vice-Rector for Research, Business Development, and Partnerships, Dr. Danang Sri Hadmoko, stressed that amid climate crises, biodiversity loss, land degradation, pollution, and socio-economic tensions, the key to the future lies in preserving sustainable forests.
“The key phrase is simple: sustainable forests. Yet behind those two words lies a great many challenges, particularly in higher education,” said Dr. Hadmoko.
Professor San Afri Awang, Chair of the Senate of Forestry UGM, highlighted the need to reinvent forestry education due to changing socio-ecological contexts, social conflicts, climate change, and environmental justice issues.
He emphasized the importance of integrating interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches, as well as shaping collaborative foresters who can work across fields and understand the socio-ecological complexity of modern forestry.
A key concept introduced by Professor Awang is the challenge of “post-reality.” He explained that the world is not only dealing with post-truth but has also entered an era of AI, cyberspace, simulation, and artificial realities.
“This post-reality world goes beyond natural reality. We may see forests digitally as if they are fine, while in reality, they are degraded. The forestry world must be cautious not to fall into the trap of data manipulation and digital simulation, and must remain grounded in ecological realities,” Professor Awang cautioned.
Furthermore, he elaborated on two main pillars of forestry science development. The first is the philosophy of life, which builds individual and societal awareness to live in harmony with nature and forests. The second is the academic philosophy to establish a distinct Indonesian scientific framework rooted in culture and local ecological experience.
“Unfortunately, both the public and national leaders have yet to regard forests as vital, except for the Ministry of Forestry itself,” he remarked.
Indra Exploitasia, Head of the Human Resources Development Agency for Environment and Forestry (BP2SDM) at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, emphasized the importance of transforming human resource management in forestry from a supporting system into a core element of national forestry governance.
She explained that education and training should no longer be seen as mere complements, but as integral components of a results-driven forestry management process. This transformation, she noted, is guided by the principles of learn, unlearn, and relearn, integrating continuous learning with practical experience.
“We do not want education and training to remain a supporting system, but we want them to become the core of Indonesia’s forestry management process,” said Exploitasia.
She also emphasized a paradigm shift in viewing both humans and forests as national assets, not commodities. BP2SDM, she added, is currently developing a corporate university model to integrate all education and training processes within the ministry while strengthening linkages with universities.
This transformation aims to produce “Forestry Human Excellence”, forestry professionals who are competent, ethical, innovative, collaborative, and sustainability-oriented.
At the same event, Soni Trison, representing the Indonesian Forestry Higher Education Forum (Foretika), emphasized the importance of strengthening collaboration among forestry universities in Indonesia to address global challenges, including climate crises, environmental degradation, and capacity disparities among institutions.
He emphasized that forestry education must function not only as an academic institution but also as a strategic actor in environmental diplomacy and green technology innovation.
“We are not producing forestry graduates as products, but as individuals who continue to evolve,” said Trison.
Meanwhile, Aditya Bayunanda from WWF Indonesia noted that since 2015, the number of formal forestry sector workers has declined, while the demand for sustainability competencies has increased, driven by regulations such as OJK Regulation No. 51/2017, which requires all public companies to produce sustainability reports.
This development, he noted, opens significant opportunities for forestry graduates to play roles in the green sector, not only in government but also in business and civil society organizations.
However, Bayunanda noted that a skills gap persists, with many graduates still focused on conventional forestry sciences and lacking digital, soft, and entrepreneurial skills.
The future, he stressed, requires the emergence of “Forester 5.0”, foresters who think scientifically, possess social empathy, and innovate deftly in addressing issues of carbon, biodiversity, and community welfare.
He also encouraged universities to transform their campuses into “living forests,” or living laboratories that integrate ecology, economics, social, and legal dimensions, and to create internship opportunities in NGOs to cultivate future foresters with green leadership.
Author: Lintang Andwyna
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photographer: Firsto Adi