Volker Kess

Volker Kess is a German-born photographer, author, and environmental philosopher. Backpacking brought him to Indonesia for the first time in 1989. Volker followed his passion for wildlife photography in Indonesia with publications in numerous magazines such as BBC Wildlife, GEO Germany, among others. In 2018, Volker published his first book Komodo – In Pursuit of the Living Legends. The extended time immersed in nature shaped his awareness about numerous environmental threats to the archipelago of Indonesia until finally, Volker began to dedicate an increasing amount of his time to nature conservation and solid waste management. His long-term experience as a freelance consultant for development aid projects such as German Development Cooperation (GIZ), Swisscontact, the German Embassy, among others, and nature-based carbon removal strategies (XPRIZE) built the foundation for launching ClimeMates in 2022, an Indonesian company addressing global warming and emission reduction on Bali’s landfills.

Volker Kess adalah seorang fotografer, penulis, dan filsuf lingkungan kelahiran Jerman. Backpacking membawanya ke Indonesia pertama kali pada tahun 1989. Volker mendalami kecintaannya terhadap fotografi satwa liar di Indonesia dengan menerbitkan karya-karyanya di berbagai majalah seperti BBC Wildlife, GEO Germany, dan lain-lain. Pada tahun 2018, Volker menerbitkan buku pertamanya Komodo – In Pursuit of the Living Legends. Banyaknya waktu yang ia habiskan di alam membentuk kesadarannya akan berbagai ancaman lingkungan di Indonesia, hingga akhirnya ia mulai mendedikasikan waktunya untuk konservasi alam dan pengelolaan limbah padat. Pengalaman panjangnya sebagai konsultan lepas untuk berbagai proyek bantuan pembangunan seperti German Development Cooperation (GIZ), Swisscontact, Kedutaan Besar Jerman, dan strategi penghilangan karbon berbasis alam (XPRIZE) menjadi landasan peluncuran ClimeMates, sebuah perusahaan Indonesia yang menangani isu pemanasan global dan pengurangan emisi di tempat pembuangan sampah di Bali, pada tahun 2022.