Bambang Hero Saharjo
Bambang Hero Saharjo at the Sense About Science John Maddox prize ceremony 2019
NationalityIndonesian
OccupationForest fire researcher
Known forResearch to stop Indonesian forest fires

Dr. Bambang Hero Saharjo is an Indonesian fire forensics specialist[1] and Professor of the Environment and Forest Fires[2] at Bogor Agricultural University. In 2019, he won the Sense About Science John Maddox award[3][4] for his work to prevent companies, particularly those of the palm oil industry, from using illegal methods of land clearance in Indonesia.

Saharjo has produced evidence for criminal trials against firms that have been accused of using illegal methods to clear peatland for crops such as palm oil. He has been an expert witness in over 500 cases since 2000, for which he has faced harassment, intimidation, legal action and death threats.[5] In 2018, a multibillion lawsuit by the palm oil industry against him was dropped, about which he said "I was criminalized for presenting evidence and [threatened with a multibillion dollar lawsuit] by palm oil companies that had been found guilty of preparing to plant palms by burning down 1,000 hectares of peatland. Eventually, the lawsuit was rejected and I am free."[4][6] According to the Guardian, the fires cause annual environmental damage of $10 billion, respiratory problems for children, and produce 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions every season.[7][8]

Saharjo has published over 50 papers to date and his work has been widely cited in academic literature on the topic.[9] In November 2019, Saharjo was awarded the Sense About Science John Maddox prize for researchers who take personal risks in the course of their scientific work.[3] He told the Times that "I have spent years alone, working in the field. Now I’m very happy because I’m not alone. I have supporters. So it has made me very powerful, to fight this environmental destruction.” [10]

Notes

  1. ↑ Meet Bambang Hero Saharjo, Indonesia's go-to expert witness against haze-causing plantation firms, retrieved 2019-12-06
  2. ↑ "Prof. Dr. Bambang Hero Saharjo, M.Agr". IPB University, Bogor Indonesia. 6 December 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-12-06.
  3. 1 2 "Maddox Prize 2019 – Sense about Science". senseaboutscience.org. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  4. 1 2 "Indonesian forestry expert wins John Maddox Prize for testifying against palm oil firms". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  5. ↑ Satriastanti, Fidelis Eka. "Bambang Hero Saharjo wins 2019 John Maddox Prize should be an inspiration for scientists to stand up for environment in courtrooms". The Conversation. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  6. ↑ "Company retracts suit against IPB expert". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  7. ↑ editor, Ian Sample Science (2019-11-12). "Scientist who takes on firms causing wildfires wins John Maddox prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-11-25. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. ↑ editor, Jonathan Watts Global environment (2019-09-06). "Malaysia complains of smog from Indonesian forest fires". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-12-06. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. ↑ Saharjo, Bambang Hero. "ResearchGate: Bambang Hero Saharjo". ResearchGate.
  10. ↑ Whipple, Tom (2019-11-18). "Scientist's lone stand against palm oil wins award". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
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