Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – Indonesia and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their strategic partnership in forestry, biodiversity conservation, and innovative landscape-based finance, with the Peusangan Elephant Conservation Initiative (PECI) in Aceh identified as a priority programme.
Indonesia’s Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, received the United Kingdom’s Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Seema Malhotra, at Manggala Wanabakti in Jakarta. The meeting followed the high-level forum Advancing Sustainable Nature Finance in Aceh and Beyond, held at Lancaster House earlier this year, and formed part of broader efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation in sustainable forest management and climate leadership.
A central focus of the discussion was the progress and forward plan for the Peusangan Elephant Conservation Initiative (PECI), which has been incorporated into the amended bilateral Memorandum of Understanding with an expanded focus on Sumatran elephant conservation. The initiative aims to ensure the long-term survival of the Sumatran elephant through habitat protection, sustainable landscape management, and mitigation of human–wildlife conflict in the Peusangan area of Aceh.
The initial project area covers 20,000 hectares, with potential expansion to 80,000 hectares to establish an integrated ecological corridor. PECI is currently in the preparatory phase, including the establishment of institutional structures, technical planning, and strengthened coordination among government agencies, development partners, the private sector, and local communities.
Minister Raja Juli Antoni and the British Ambassador to Indonesia have conducted a joint field visit to the project site, underscoring both countries’ strong commitment to conserving priority species and promoting sustainable forest landscape management.
Minister Raja Juli Antoni emphasized that PECI is not merely a species conservation project but a comprehensive model for landscape-based conservation finance.
“PECI is positioned as a landscape-based conservation financing model that integrates biodiversity protection, sustainable forest management, and community welfare. Our focus today is to ensure that the implementation phase proceeds in a structured, measurable manner with long-term financing sustainability,” he stated.
He further noted that Sumatran elephant conservation forms part of Indonesia’s national strategic agenda to strengthen conservation governance, support the Forestry and Other Land Use Net Sink 2030 (FOLU Net Sink 2030) target, and reinforce Indonesia’s credibility in global forest and climate leadership.
Beyond PECI, Indonesia and the United Kingdom are collaborating on additional initiatives, including the Sustainable Landscape Partnership Programme (KIBAR), the development of a National Park Financing Task Force, and the mobilization of innovative nature-based finance mechanisms such as blended finance, high-integrity carbon credits, and biodiversity credits.
The bilateral partnership operates under the framework of the FOLU Net Sink 2030 Memorandum of Understanding signed on 22 October 2022. The agreement encompasses strengthened forest governance, support for Indonesia’s Timber Legality and Sustainability Verification System (SVLK), conservation of priority species, and the development of sustainable forestry financing mechanisms.
The United Kingdom reaffirmed its commitment to supporting conservation finance and priority species protection in Indonesia, including through technical assistance and investment in landscape-based initiatives such as PECI.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to advance concrete collaboration in conservation, sustainable forest management, and credible, high-integrity nature finance to ensure the long-term sustainability of Indonesia’s forest ecosystems while delivering socio-economic benefits to local communities. (*)
