Meet our 2025 Judith Heath Explorer Iyan Robiansyah

Описание: The Endemic Plants of Adi Island, Indonesia
1 November 2025 to 31 July 2026

Iyan is this year's winner of our Judith Heath Explorer Award for Botany & Research

Iyan is a researcher at the Research Centre for Ecology and Ethnobiology, where he focuses on the ecology and conservation of Indonesia’s endemic and threatened plant species. His work aims to understand the ecology of these plants and develop strategies to protect them from extinction. In addition to his research, Iyan is actively involved in several key conservation initiatives. He is a member of the Forum Pohon Langka Indonesia, the Indonesian Plant Red List Authority, and several global conservation consortia. Through these roles, he contributes to national and international efforts to assess, monitor, and preserve plant biodiversity, especially species on the brink of extinction.

Iyan’s expedition aims to assess the population status of three plant species found only on Adi Island, an island that is facing increasing threats from forest degradation and land conversion, putting its endemic species on the
brink of extinction. Of the three known endemic species, one (Diospyros mollissima) is classified as Critically Endangered, while the conservation status of the other two (Diospyrosadiensis and Homalomena adiensis) remains unknown. To support their conservation, the expedition will assess current populations, collect plant material for ex-situ conservation, update
their conservation status, and raise awareness among local communities and the broader public.

Supported by and in memory of Judith Heath.