Tanoto Forestry Information Center as a Global Center for Forestry Information

Information

Monday, 21 December 2015 – According to the Book of Indonesia’s Forestry Statistics, which as released by the Ministry of Forestry in July 2012, Indonesia has forests as large as 99.6 million hectares, covering 52.3% of the total size of Indonesia. Beyond being large per se, forests in Indonesia also possess an abundance range of biodiversity. There are more than 4000 types of trees, 267 of which are trees that come with woods of high economic values.

The contribution from the forestry sector is valued at USD21 billion, or 3.5% of Indonesia’s economy (April Sustainability Report 2012). Also, more than 3.76 million of human resources are involved in the forestry sector. Therefore, there remains a need to development Human Resources that are capable of handling the forest exceptionally, and for a sufficient availability of information as the basis of managing the forests, policy-planning, and development of forestry studies.

Hence, today, Bogor Agricultural University and Tanoto Foundation officially opened the Tanoto Forestry Information Centre, a centre of information on forestry that will hopefully be utilized by researchers, academics, and university students in Indonesia, Asia, and the world in general. Within the three-storey building that is as large as 1500 m², there is access to international journals on forestry studies that simultaneously complete the collections of Bogor Agricultural University. It is intended for this information center to be opened for public, eventually allowing general public to obtain and share information regarding forestry.

Tanoto Forestry Information Center is equipped with various facilities, including access to Bogor Agricultural University’s library collections, scientific journals, and information regarding forestry in panel and video format. The forestry information center will also serve as an incubation hub for ideas and understanding through research, seminar, and discussion. The information centre will further be a hub that connects Bogor Agricultural University with other universities and other global research institutions in the realm of forestry.

Sukanto Tanoto, founder of Tanoto Foundation, emphasized that, “The establishment of Tanoto Forestry Information Center is a testament of our support in the effort to development the knowledge of forestry in Indonesia. Therefore, we hope that Bogor Agricultural University, in partnership with other universities and research institution on forestry, will be able to expand and develop an information center that can support research and knowledge on forestry and forestry studies.”

 “The role of forestry sector and industry is significant for the economy in Indonesia. In order to boost the level of contribution from the sector, Indonesia requires smart individuals in the sector of forestry. Indonesia also requires people who can utilize and develop their knowledge for the application in the forestry sector. At the end, all of the activities at Tanoto Forestry Information will be a pathway for the birth of more researchers and practitioners who can excel on an international level,” Sukanto Tanoto added.

At the same time, Minister of Research Technology and Higher Education, Muhammad Nasir, explained that, “Tanoto Forestry Informatio Center is precisely the main instrument of research, analysis, and planning for the necessary strategic steps. We also hope that Tanoto Forestry Information Center can be a hub for networking and collaboration between practitioners of national and international forestry.”

The Dean of the University, Herry Suhardianto, explained that, “With the presence of Tanoto Forestry Information Center, we can achieve a policy-planning that has its foundation on scientific knowledge. I also hope that with the presence of Tanoto Forestry Information Centeral, researches that are oriented on the conservation and management of forest can be continuously conducted.”

Tanoto Foundation supports beyond the development of infrastructures and hardware constructions per se, as it also support the development of software for education in the form of research, non-research scientific activities, and development of collaboration among institutions.

The collaboration between Bogor Agricultural University and Tanoto Foundation is a continued cooperation that has long been forged. One of the form of coordination include scholarship program, where more than 400 of Bogor Agricultural University’s students have received scholarship and funding from Tanoto Foundation since 2006.