Enviro News Asia, Antalya – The Indonesian government has presented a long-term conservation financing plan at the Indonesia Pavilion at the COP31 climate summit, covering 13 priority national parks and two landscapes dedicated to iconic species.
The plan was drawn up by the Task Force for Innovative Financing of National Park Management, which President Prabowo Subianto established through Presidential Decree No. 8 of 2026.
Task force chair Hashim S. Djojohadikusumo, who is also the President’s special envoy for climate change and energy, said Indonesia’s 57 national parks are home to numerous endangered species and that protecting them is a responsibility to future generations. “Indonesia is not merely seeking additional funds for conservation. We need long-term financing so that nature protection can continue,” Hashim said, according to a Forestry Ministry press release issued on Monday.
“Through this task force, we seek to expand collaboration among the government, philanthropy and the private sector to support the protection of national parks, iconic species and priority landscapes. Success must be seen in well-preserved ecosystems and tangible benefits for communities around conservation areas,” he said.
At COP31, the task force gathered international feedback on a draft white paper on Indonesia’s conservation financing. The consultation followed a national one held on Nov. 2, which involved the government, civil society, businesses and conservation experts, including nongovernmental and civil society organizations.
The draft proposes establishing a national conservation investment vehicle to pool, aggregate and channel funds from various sources. The vehicle would also strengthen incentives for national parks to generate their own revenue at the site level through ecotourism, strategic partnerships and other sustainable business models.
During a panel session, the task force outlined financing mechanisms adapted from global best practices. They include a biodiversity credit framework backed by long-term regulation, and Project Finance for Permanence (PFP), a project-based permanent funding model intended to finance a whole portfolio of national parks.
The task force also presented wildlife conservation bonds and outcome-based finance, which draws on the success of species protection models such as the Rhino Bond.
State control maintained
Vice Forestry Minister Rohmat Marzuki said the ministry was committed to developing innovative conservation financing to strengthen national park governance. The effort, he said, would move from pilot projects toward a national platform linking reliable funding, strong institutions, effective field management and measurable conservation outcomes. “Indonesia’s national parks remain under the state’s authority, with conservation as the main objective. The government remains responsible for conservation priorities, management decisions and oversight,” Rohmat said.
He said the ministry’s priorities included building a credible financing architecture, developing instruments that deliver conservation benefits, reforming regulations and financial flexibility, strengthening human resources and management capacity, and scaling pilot projects into a national platform.
The ministry’s transformation agenda for public service agencies (BLU) covers four national parks: Komodo, Bromo Tengger Semeru, Mount Rinjani and Way Kambas. Implementation will follow the applicable approval processes.
Culmination of diplomatic push
The COP31 presentation capped a series of diplomatic and market-testing efforts by Indonesia. They included the introduction of the Peusangan Elephant Conservation Initiative (PECI) at Lancaster House, the establishment of the national task force and a dialogue with investors during London Climate Action Week.
WWF Indonesia CEO Aditya Bayunanda, who is also a task force member, welcomed the government’s move to build a conservation financing architecture. “We see a very strong positive signal from the structured approach taken by Indonesia,” he said.
According to Aditya, close collaboration among the government, financial institutions, corporations and global partners could help shift conservation funding from a charity-based model to an investment-driven one that supports a nature-positive economy.
The sessions at COP31 were attended by world leaders and international development partners. They included representatives of the British government, among them Ruth Davis, the UK special representative for nature, who delivered a keynote. Other participants were the Bezos Earth Fund, Enduring Earth, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and global philanthropists.
The partners’ presence reinforced a collaborative commitment to provide technical support, feasibility studies and catalytic funding for Indonesia’s transition to a nature-positive economy. Indonesia invited global financial institutions, philanthropies and the private sector to join the national conservation financing ecosystem. (**)
