By Abbas Nazil
IPB University has taken a leading step in promoting forestry forensics as a new strategy to address environmental crimes during the International Conference on Tropical Silviculture (ICTS) 2025 held in Bogor.
The conference, organized at the IPB International Convention Center, was attended by experts from Indonesia and abroad, highlighting the university’s collaboration with the World Resources Institute and the National Research and Innovation Agency to develop scientific tools against illegal logging, wildlife trafficking, and forest fires.
IPB University Vice Rector for Global Connectivity, Cooperation, and Alumni, Professor Iskandar Z Siregar, said that experts at the event presented technological approaches for wood identification and environmental case handling.
He underlined the university’s commitment to becoming a pioneer in forestry and environmental forensics and revealed plans to establish a laboratory dedicated to analyzing plant and wildlife samples to strengthen scientific evidence for law enforcement.
The Chair of ICTS 2025, Dr Fifi Gus Dwiyanti, explained that the conference discussed eight subtopics ranging from timber and wildlife tracking to pollution, seed identification, and the use of artificial intelligence in forensic investigations.
She emphasized that many people underestimate the role of forensic science in solving environmental crimes, stressing that technology can significantly strengthen the law enforcement process.
Professor Bambang Hero Saharjo, a leading academic at IPB University’s Faculty of Forestry and Environment, highlighted the relevance of forensic approaches to combating forest and land fires, known as karhutla, which remain a recurring threat in Indonesia.
As Chairman of the Disaster Study Center, he warned that fires are not confined to corporate areas but are increasingly spreading to community lands.
He pointed to cases such as a 652-hectare fire on Meranti Island, alongside other fires covering hundreds of hectares in local communities, as evidence of the growing scale of the problem.
Bambang stressed that forest and land fires must be addressed comprehensively, not only through prevention and firefighting but also with systematic post-fire management.
He insisted that perpetrators must be held accountable for restoration processes, and that expert involvement is essential to measure environmental damage and plan recovery strategies.
According to him, scientific approaches can be applied to trace those responsible for fires, and ongoing investigations prove it is possible to identify and pursue perpetrators.
Through ICTS 2025, IPB University reaffirmed its role as a center for forestry and environmental forensic development in Indonesia.
With the support of advanced technology, multidisciplinary research, and academic expertise, the university is determined to strengthen law enforcement efforts against illegal logging, wildlife trafficking, and widespread forest and land fires.
This commitment positions IPB University as a driving force in reducing environmental crimes and building stronger systems of accountability through science.
