SEAMEO BIOTROP hosted the launching of two books, namely: “Management of Natural Resources for Multidimensional Meanings and Multi Purposes” and “Environmental and Human Ecology Science: Integrated National Education Concept using Indonesian Wisdom” on 26 November 2013. The books were authored by Prof. Dr. Mohamad Soerjani of the Institute for Environmental Education and Development (IEED) of Indonesia.

Written in Indonesian language, the books discuss about the appropriate way in implementing environmental education for sustainable living in Indonesia. Prof. Dr. M. Soerjani wrote the books with the aim of educating and providing moral wisdom to  the young generation in the way they have to live their lives in this world with orderliness and peace toward eternal, social, and cultural security.

Prof. Dr. M. Soerjani was the former Program Manager of the Tropical Pest Biology Program of BIOTROP from 1970 to 1979. His works and leadership earned for BIOTROP the reputation as the centre of excellence in weed science in Southeast Asia until the early 1980s.     His involvement with weeds ended when he was requested by the Directorate General of Higher Education, Minister of Education to move from the Indonesian Institute of Science to the Department of Education and Culture and seconded at the Faculty of Science and Mathematics at the University of Indonesia.  He developed the Center for Environmental Studies which concentrated on the environmental problems in cities rather than that in agriculture or forest ecosystems.  He was  instrumental in issuing laws related to environmental management no 23/1997 which formulates that environment as a unit of space with all its materials, energy, forces, condition and living organism including human and its behaviors in affecting life sustainability and welfare including other living organisms. He retired from the University of Indonesia in 1997 and devoted his time to coordinating activities of Foundation for Education and Environmental Development.

The book launching ceremony was attended by about 60 school teachers from Bogor. The invited commentators were Prof. Dr. M. Chozin from the Faculty of Agriculture and Prof. Dr. Harini Muntasib from the Faculty of Forestry of the Bogor Agricultural University. The event was moderated by Dr. Soekisman Tjitrosoedirdjo, SEAMEO BIOTROP Affiliate Scientist.