Zulfan Herman: Balancing Ecological and Economic Growth
For 17 years, Zulfan Herman has been utilising technology for conservation, leveraging data to identify effective and innovative solutions to Indonesia’s most pressing environmental challenges.
After obtaining a Bachelor of Engineering in Geodesy from the Institut Teknologi Bandung in 2005, Zulfan worked at the Aceh Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency. As Assistant Manager of Spatial Data Analysis, he analysed land cover in Aceh, which was the target of rehabilitation and reconstruction.
‘My background is in geodesy, but my work experience led me to the environment and forestry. This also encouraged me to apply for a scholarship, which at that time was the ADS (Australian Development Scholarship),’ said Zulfan.
Australian Education with a Global Outlook
Zulfan was accepted into the Masters of Environment program at The University of Melbourne in 2009. He enjoyed the flexibility of combining four compulsory courses with optional topics in line with his interests.
During his two years of study in Australia, he noticed differences in the way higher education was delivered. In his opinion, education in Indonesia is very specific and practical, while in Australia, it has a broader outlook, encompassing more international perspectives.
For example, in 2009, Zulfan already had access to global environmental and forestry schemes, including carbon trading, which had not yet started in Indonesia.
‘It influenced my perspective and way of working,’ he said. ‘The network was certainly international, as I met people from many places, such as Japan, Europe and Latin America. My perspective and knowledge became richer, which broadened my horizons and was useful for my career development.’
He also learned about the importance of economic growth accompanied by strong environmental safeguards - insights that would prove useful when he returned to Indonesia.
Using Data to Balance Ecology and Economy
After completing his master's degree, Zulfan returned to Indonesia. He served as Project Coordinator at the Aceh Green Vision Secretariat, where he developed
systems to reduce deforestation and forest degradation. After a few months, he became a consultant at UNDP, continuing to work on spatial information management in Aceh.
Today, he remains active as a consultant for both private companies and government agencies. Over the years, he has encountered various challenges when dealing with government institutions, particularly in the environmental and forestry sectors.
‘Indonesia is still pursuing economic growth. So, the pressure on the environmental sector is also quite significant. When working with the government, the challenge is how to develop or manage government programs that do not violate environmental rules or norms,’ he explained.
Governments could improve their performance by gathering better data to gain insights and evidence on environmental policy, Zulfan said. Without robust and synchronised data, public programs risked being unhelpful to environmental sustainability.
‘The government can develop visionary policies and regulations, but it must also have a strong scientific base, clear data and solid evidence,’ said Zulfan.
The Importance of Data Integration
Zulfan has extensive experience in GIS analysis and spatial data planning. He believes these tools can be optimised to map land at risk of environmental damage.
‘Once again, there must be awareness from the government that every policy taken is based on data and information, so that these tools will be effective and the data and information can be analysed. The problem is that each sector has its own data,’ said Zulfan.
He provided an example of forest fires, where mapping could enhance the response or even prevent the emergence of hotspots.In floods, data and analysis could be used effectively for prevention and distribution of aid to the most affected areas. However, this could only be done with integrated data.
‘There is already an initiative, the One Data Indonesia policy,’ Zulfan said. ‘But I see that this is still a work in progress. This is because each institution has data that does not have the same standard. When analysed, discrepancies arise because the standards are different.’
Advocating for Innovative Solutions
Since 2023, Zulfan has been Head of Natural Climate Solutions at CarbonEthics, a company specialising in carbon project development. Among the projects he is responsible for developing is the planting of three million hectares of mangroves in Indonesia. Mangrove ecosystems play a vital role in protecting coastlines and filtering air and water pollutants, addressing pressing challenges faced by urban areas vulnerable to climate change and pollution
This project began with studies in several regions, including Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua. Through these studies, Zulfan has identified potential sites for carbon capture and storage projects.
‘We looked at the potential carbon credits that could be generated, the costs involved, and whether the community on the land was conducive or not. These three components are very important.’
This project is ongoing, with some parts in the design stage and several regions beginning implementation.
Zulfan is supportive of initiatives such as Hari Gerakan Sejuta Pohon (One Million Trees Planting Day), which aims to build awareness and momentum. The movement could be a gateway for young people to learn more about the importance of protecting the environment and mitigating climate change, he said.
However, considering Indonesia's size, he said, one million trees was not enough. At the same time, climate change was adding to the scalef and urgency of the challenge. For example, recent destructive floods in Sumatra, triggered by Cyclone Senyar, were made worse by deforestation.
‘This extreme weather phenomenon, which was the effect of climate change, was exacerbated by the condition of forest cover that has undergone deforestation,’ Zulfan said.
‘By planting trees, we can obtain carbon compensation in the future, which can be a mechanism to protect the environment and even prevent deforestation that causes flooding.’
Zulfan said innovative, nature-based environmental management schemes could be a solution. However, he emphasised that governments must step in to create policies and regulations that support these projects.
