Reza Saputra

Reza Saputra is a conservation biologist and orchid researcher specialising in the biodiversity, taxonomy, and conservation of tropical orchids in New Guinea. He is currently undertaking a Master of Science (Professional) in Tropical Biology and Conservation at James Cook University, Australia, supported by the Australia Awards Scholarship.

Reza works as a Ranger and Forest Ecosystem Specialist at the West Papua Natural Resources Conservation Agency under the Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia. His professional work focuses on ecosystem protection, threatened species monitoring, and strengthening conservation practices in collaboration with Indigenous communities across protected areas in the Bird’s Head Peninsula.

His research centres on orchid diversity, systematics, and conservation planning, with particular emphasis on field exploration, species discovery, and the development of digital identification tools. He is currently leading the development of a multi-access identification key and comprehensive checklist of orchids from the Bird’s Head Peninsula, in collaboration with international and national partners including the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; the Australian Tropical Herbarium; Universitas Papua; and the Regional Research and Innovation Agency of West Papua Province.

Reza has participated in numerous botanical expeditions in remote tropical forests and contributes to regional and global orchid conservation initiatives. His work aims to support evidence-based conservation management and capacity building for biodiversity research in Indonesia.