FORDA-MOF

The BLI foundation can be traced back to late 19th century to early 20th century during Dutch colonial era. On 1 July 1897, Het Boswezen van Nederlandsch Oost Indie (literal English: Forest Service of Netherlands West Indies Government) was founded as one of 16 children agencies of Dutch colonial government's Departement van Landbouw, Nijverheid en Handel (Department of Agriculture, Industry, and Trade). The department was colonial predecessor of the current Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Industry, and Ministry of Trade. The department at that time was a large quasi-governmental agency within the Dutch colonial government which possessed vast powers and responsibilities which regulated, provided, and researched various subjects in agriculture, agricultural extension, agricultural education, management of Bogor Botanical Gardens, fishery, husbandry, ranches and pastures management, veterinary services and veterinary education, management of state coffee plantations, forestry, industries, trades, metrology, and also managed and coordinated local government agricultural services and units, to even control, supervision, regulation, and registration of Dutch East Indies natural societies.[3] The Forest Service was a unit founded within the department to regulate and manage Indonesian forest at that time, although the activity was focused to forests at Java and Madura islands. However, the forestry at that time was used by colonial government as tool for exploiting natural resources for people welfare and their activities much industrial-oriented. Despite that, the agency researches in hydrology, orology, and climatology were contributed to early researches on these topics which later become the foundational basis of later earth science and environmental sciences in Indonesia.[3]

On 16 May 1913, Proefstation Voor Het Boswezen (English: Forestry Research Station) formed within the Het Boswezen van Nederlandsch Oost Indie thru Gouvernement Besluit No. 58. The unit was initially consisted of 4 research centers: Forestry Research Division, Plantation Division, Forest Exploration and Prospecting Division, Wood Technology Division. In 1927, the Proefstation Voor Het Boswezen renamed to Bosbouwproefstation (English: Forestry Research Station, same translation). Until the start of World War II, the agency was expanded and finally having 6 divisions: Wild Forest Wood Business Division, Forest Exploration Station, Experimental Forest Products Development Division, Forest Plants Experimental Division, Water Research Division, and Propaganda for Forest Products Utilization and Promotion Division.[3]

On 1942, Japan occupied Dutch East Indies. At that time, the Empire of Japan government sent Professor Ryozo Kanehira to Dutch East Indies and set him up as Director of Bosbouwproefstation. The Bosbouwproefstation renamed into Ringyoo Sikenzyoo (English: Forestry Research Station) under his leadership. During his time, the agency research was shifted to war purposes and researching wood technologies for supporting war, such as development of gunpowder and explosives, inventarization of hardwood for shipbuilding, air plane building, gun making, match production, developing natural tanning agents, etc.[3] When Japan finally surrendered on 15 August 1945, the agency later relinquished to Indonesian government on 17 August 1945, at the same day of Indonesian Proclamation of Independence. The first Indonesian director was M. Soetarmo Hardjowarsono, and he renamed the agency name to Badan Penyelidikan Kehutanan (English: Forestry Research Agency).[3][4]

The agency later went into many names and attached to many ministries, until in 2015 it become Research, Development, and Innovation Agency (Indonesian: Badan Penelitian, Pengembangan, dan Inovasi, BLI after the issue of Ministry of Environment and Forestry Decree No. P. 18/MENLHK-II/2015.[5]

After the passage of Law of National Science and Technology System (Law No. 11/2019) and Omnibus Law on Job Creation (Law No. 11/2020), Siti Nurbaya Bakar, the Minister of Environment and Forestry announced that BLI will be phased out on 16 July 2020. The research units of BLI will be relinquished to newly formed BRIN, and the large part of the former BLI will turned into BSI LHK.[6] On 14 September 2020, the agency was dissolved de jure by Presidential Decree No. 92/2020 and replaced by BSI LHK. The ministry confirmed again the dissolution thru Ministry of Environment and Forestry Decree No. 15/2021.[2]

Despite the dissolution, the transitional provision of the decree permitted the research centers/units under the former BLI/FORDA-MOF to be temporarily operated and supervised by BSI LHK until the integration to BRIN finalized.[1] As in 2021, the integration progress is still ongoing.[7]