UIN Jakarta Deepens Environmental Engagement Through Collaboration with UNESCO Biosphere Reserve TNGGP

Cianjur, UIN Online News — The Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta established a partnership with the Mount Gede Pangrango National Park Office (TNGGP), focusing on research, education, and natural resource conservation. The agreement is signed directly at the TNGGP conservation area in Cianjur, West Java, on Friday, (7/11/2025), marking a concrete step by FST to expand its academic contribution to preserving Indonesia’s tropical montane forest ecosystems.

The collaboration encompasses a wide range of strategic initiatives, including joint biodiversity research, the development of conservation technologies, wildlife monitoring programs, and community empowerment activities in areas surrounding the national park. FST UIN Jakarta also committed to supporting field-based education and student internship programs within the conservation zone, aiming to strengthen practical competencies in ecology, environmental science, and biological conservation.

Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Prof. Husni Teja Sukmana, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., explained that the agreement represents a tangible synergy between academia and conservation authorities in advancing environmental sustainability.

“Through this partnership, we aim to promote applied research with direct impact on biodiversity protection. It also allows our students to gain field experience and understand firsthand the importance of maintaining ecosystem balance and environmental sustainability as part of their professional development in science and conservation,” he conveyed.

The Mount Gede Pangrango National Park Office (TNGGP) is the official management authority for the conservation area established in 1980 in West Java Province. The park spans 24,270.80 hectares, covering three districts and encompassing two prominent peaks: Mount Gede and Mount Pangrango. Its landscape functions as the headwater region for four major river basins in Citarum, Cimandiri, Cisadane, and Ciliwung, which supply water to more than 30 million residents across Jakarta and West Java.

Beyond its ecological importance, TNGGP serves as a center for biodiversity conservation, scientific research, and environmental education. The area is home to a wide range of endemic Javan flora and fauna, including tropical rainforest species and several endangered animals such as the Javan Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus bartelsi), Javan Gibbon (Hylobates moloch), Javan Leopard, and Muntjac deer. Since 1977, the region has also been recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

(Nosa Idea L./Zaenal M./Fauziah M./Muhamad Arifin Ilham)