Faculty of Forestry an d Environment

The Faculty of Forestry was one of the founding faculties during the establishment of Universiti Putra Malaysia (formerly known as Universiti Pertanian Malaysia) in 1971. The mission of the Faculty is to be a leading center of learning and education in tropical forestry, contributing not only to human advancement and knowledge exploration but also to national wealth creation and development.

To achieve excellence in teaching and research, the Faculty has forged close collaborations with other faculties within UPM as well as with forestry agencies and institutions both nationally and internationally. These collaborations enhance the Faculty’s capacity to supervise students at all levels of study offered.

Since its inception, the Faculty has grown rapidly in terms of education, research, and resource development. As of 2011, the Faculty had 46 qualified academic staff with expertise to conduct the required courses, supported by 83 non-academic staff responsible for administration and assisting with teaching and research activities.

The history of the Faculty of Environmental Studies began with the establishment of the Department of Environmental Sciences in August 1976, under the Faculty of Science. With the establishment of this department, the Faculty of Science was renamed the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies. At that time, the Department of Environmental Sciences was responsible for offering the Bachelor of Environmental Science degree program, introduced in the same year. This was the first environmental degree program in Southeast Asia and was recognized as a professional degree by the Public Services Department of Malaysia.

However, on 1 September 2004, UPM’s management agreed to allow the Department of Environmental Sciences to operate independently as a new faculty, named the Faculty of Environmental Studies. With the separation of the Department from the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies, the latter reverted to its original name, Faculty of Science.

The Faculty of Environmental Studies was the only academic body in Malaysia offering undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in environmental studies. The faculty’s teaching staff and researchers were experts from various fields, in line with the multidisciplinary nature of environmental education and research that demands diverse skills, abilities, and knowledge. To enhance administrative efficiency, the Faculty established two departments: the Department of Environmental Sciences and the Department of Environmental Management.

As a faculty committed to environmental studies, the Faculty of Environmental Studies collaborated with various parties on research projects both within and outside UPM. Among its research partners were the Department of Environment Malaysia and the Ministry of the Environment, Japan.

The Faculty of Forestry and the Faculty of Environmental Studies were merged to form the Faculty of Forestry and Environment, effective 1 March 2020.

Official Website: https://forenv.upm.edu.my/