Siti Nurbaya Bakar is the first female Minister of Environment & Forestry, a post she has assumed since 2014. In this role, she has promised to work to end slash-and-burn practices, prevent deforestation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Bakar has announced a permanent ban on clearing peatlands and forests; in 2019, after the summer “haze” that habitually chokes countries around Indonesia, she fined and revoked the licences of palm-oil companies that cause fires.

Bakar started as a civil servant in the Lampung Province and worked there for 17 years until she reached the highest level. She was then appointed as the secretary-general at the Ministry of Home Affairs. Having excelled at her job, she received the Presidential Star Service medal in 2011 for her dedication. Bakar was then appointed as secretary-general of the Regional Representatives Council.

Later, she joined the National Democrat (Nasdem) Party and was elected to the House of Representatives for Lampung from 2014-2019. She is a graduate of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture.