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. Mourners pay their respects at Hariadi Kartodiharjo’s funeral in Bogor. Image by Christ Belseran/Mongabay Indonesia Over the course of five months, Hariadi heard testimony from dozens of…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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