FMIPA UI Professor Receives International Award from Leiden-Delft-Erasmus University Alliance

Prof. Jatna Supriatna, Ph.D., Professor of Conservation Biology and Director of the Institute for Sustainable Earth and Resources (ISER) Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (FMIPA UI) has again received appreciation on the international stage. Notification of this award was received by Prof. Jatna through a notification letter sent by Prof. Wim van den Doel Dean of Leiden-Delft-Erasmus (LDE) Universities Alliance, on September 27, 2023.

This time, he received the 2023 Bosscha Medal from the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus (LDE) alliance council formed by Prof. Marleen Dekker (Leiden University), Prof. Jurian Edelenbos (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Prof. Merle de Kreuk (TU Delft), for his extraordinary contributions in the fields of scientific research, education and international collaboration to drive nature conservation and environmental sustainability.

Prof. Jatna received the award symbolically on Monday (10/23/2023) at the State Islamic University (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah, South Tangerang, in an international scientific conference, namely the BRIN-LDE Academy 2023, themed "The Smart Sustainable, and Health City in Indonesia) organized by the Social Sciences and Public Relations Research Organization, National Research and Innovation Agency (OR IPSH BRIN). The award was presented directly by Prof. Wim van den Doel to Prof. Jatna.

"I have been involved in conservation biology for 40 years, throughout that journey I am grateful that my efforts and struggles can be seen and felt by the people of Indonesia and the world. I have received many national and international awards. I think those previous achievements were the considerations for giving this award," said Prof. Jatna to the FMIPA UI Public Relations team.

The environmental activist believes that the main problem in the development of conservation biology in Indonesia is the minimal involvement of academics in determining strategic government development decisions.

He also expressed his concerns in his professorial inauguration speech entitled "The Role of Conservation Biology in Supporting Sustainable Development" in March 2017, at the UI Campus, Depok.

"Environmental conservation carried out based on a scientific approach will reduce unnecessary errors in the implementation process, even though it costs relatively more," he added.

The LDE University Alliance awards the Bosscha Medal to scientists and scholars who have made an outstanding contribution to international cooperation in research and education between the Netherlands and countries of the South.

The LDE Alliance Board considers that Prof. Jatna has consistently provided a very important example of how to combine scientific excellence and teaching for critical social impact. Thanks to his dedication, nature conservation and the impact of climate change and land use on it have been on the Indonesian political agenda for the past few decades and significant impacts on conservation have been achieved.

Not only that, Wim van den Doel in his notification letter emphasized that Prof. Jatna had increased attention to important issues in the field of conservation, both in the academic world and in society at large.

Prof. Jatna is also seen as an important supporter in maintaining and enhancing the relationship between Leiden University and UI through joint research and education activities, in the summer/winter school program. Through peer-to-peer teaching, forming an interdisciplinary group of students and scholars, and local stakeholder exchanges, to create a learning environment that can encourage students to become agents of change, while equipping them with a deep understanding of nature conservation and environmental sustainability.

Although he has retired from his teaching role at UI, Prof. Jatna remains active in sharing his views on the importance of environmental conservation by serving as a keynote speaker at various seminars and public discussions addressing environmental issues. The Executive Director of DIPI (Indonesian Science Fund) and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Indonesian Conservation Foundation has also served as a judge for The Indonesia Sustainable Tourism Awards (organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy) since 2018.

News source : https://sci.ui.ac.id/