Indonesians mourn loss of Hariadi Kartodiharjo, beloved ‘father of governance’

BOGOR, Indonesia — Mourners filed into the residence of Professor Hariadi Kartodiharjo in Bubulak village near the city of Bogor, just south of Jakarta, on Sunday, June 2.

Hariadi, affectionately known as “Prof HK,” was born in Jombang, East Java province, on April 24, 1958, and died at the age of 66. Prayers were also held at the Al Fithrotus Syafiiyah mosque to commemorate Hariadi, a pioneer of forestry governance and prominent advocate for Indigenous rights in Indonesia.

Reza Kartodiharjo, Hariadi’s eldest son, said his father passed away before dawn on the morning of June 2. He had appeared in good spirits the previous evening while sharing a meal with his wife, until his health deteriorated overnight.

Hariadi advised Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the country’s anti-corruption agency, known as the KPK. He was an author of books on forestry governance and published numerous papers in academic journals.

His 2021 book, Sins and the Future of Our Planet, explored themes of technology and democratic oversight of Indonesia’s forests.

In 2015, Hariadi became a commissioner on a national inquiry established by the National Human Rights Commission, known as Komnas HAM, into conflicts between Indigenous peoples and the state in forest areas. The inquiry followed a ruling by the Constitutional Court in 2013 that affirmed Indigenous peoples’ rights to their own customary forests.

Over the course of five months, Hariadi heard testimony from dozens of communities in a series of hearings staged in every region the archipelago country. Indigenous groups recounted how they had lost access to their traditional forests or encountered abuse from state and non-state actors.

Naresworo Nugroho, dean of the forestry faculty at Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), Indonesia’s preeminent forestry university, said Hariadi was a major figure at the university where he studied and taught.

“I, on behalf of the IPB Forestry family, express my deepest condolences for the passing of Professor Hariadi Kartodiharjo,” Naresworo said.

Hariadi’s academic career began at IPB, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in forest product technology in 1981. He then earned a master of science degree in forestry science in 1989 at the same campus. In 1998, he defended his doctorate thesis, “Improving the performance of natural production forest enterprises through institutional structure.”

Hariadi’s postgraduate research included studies on regional readiness in overcoming corruption in the implementation of REDD+ (“reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries”), a process overseen by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

He also published studies of governance in the palm oil plantation industry and analysis of corruption risk assessments for commercial timber in East Kalimantan province.

Linda Rosalina, an IPB alumnus and the current executive director of civil society group Transformation for Justice (TuK) Indonesia, said Hariadi had influenced a generation of students.

“Prof HK is a professor with a wealth of experience,” Linda said. “He really valued young people. … Even those of us who are still young were sometimes embarrassed by Prof HK’s extraordinary energy.”

Hariadi’s work had important influence on the work carried out by TuK Indonesia. For example, the civil society group focuses in part on publishing reports on financial institution lending to companies involved in deforestation in Indonesia, a dynamic emphasized by Hariadi.

“In Prof HK’s opinion, providing capital to destroyers of forests is contributing to forest destruction,” Linda said. “Forestry science is now interdisciplinary, no longer multidisciplinary.”

In line with his role on the Komnas HAM inquiry into Indigenous rights, Hariadi advocated for minority groups throughout his career.

Sandra Moniaga, who served as Komanas HAM commissioner from 2012-22, said Hariadi was a vital figure in elevating the importance of human rights in the country’s forests. In 2023, Hariadi was named as the head of a working group on agrarian reform formed by Indonesia’s coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, Mahfud MD, a vice presidential candidate in Indonesia’s February election.

“Prof Hariadi is someone who really respects human rights,” Moniaga told Mongabay Indonesia. “I have worked with him for more than 30 years, so I really know his life’s journey, which has contributed so much to forestry science.”

Hariadi was known to many as an academic researcher and public advocate, but he was also experienced in the field and was unafraid to get his boots muddy. In 1993, he joined a group of residents demonstrating against the destruction of mangrove forests in East Lampung on the island of Sumatra.

Hening Parlan, deputy chair of the environmental council of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s second-largest Islamic organization, characterized Hariadi as an elder statesman of forestry in Indonesia.

“We consider him the father of governance,” Hening told Mongabay Indonesia.

Banner image: A photo of Hariadi Kartodiharjo, taken from his Facebook page.

This story was reported by Mongabay’s Indonesia team and first published here on our Indonesian site on June 2, 2024.

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