Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – Prabowo Subianto is preparing two strategic policies to strengthen wildlife conservation and the management of protected areas in Indonesia: a Presidential Instruction (Inpres) on the protection of elephants and a Presidential Decree (Keppres) establishing a task force for innovative financing of national parks.
The plan was conveyed by Indonesia’s Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni following his meeting with the President at the Istana Negara in Jakarta on Thursday (March 12).
The Presidential Instruction will focus on safeguarding the population and habitats of the Sumatran elephant and the Bornean elephant, whose habitats have significantly declined over the past decades.
According to the minister, the number of elephant habitat pockets has dropped dramatically from 42 areas in the past to only 21 today. Without serious intervention, further habitat degradation is likely to continue.
Through the policy, the President will instruct relevant ministries and agencies to support the Ministry of Forestry in protecting elephant populations. The measures include establishing preservation areas and habitat corridors that enable elephants to move between habitat pockets and prevent population fragmentation.
One example involves plantation concession areas where preservation zones could be created to serve as corridors, allowing elephants to migrate safely between habitats.
In addition, the President is preparing a Presidential Decree to establish the National Park Financing and Management Innovation Task Force. The task force will explore sustainable funding mechanisms to improve the management of protected areas across Indonesia.
The task force will be chaired by Hashim Djojohadikusumo, with Raja Juli Antoni serving as deputy chair alongside Mari Elka Pangestu. The initiative aims to develop innovative and sustainable financing schemes, including partnerships with the private sector, to elevate Indonesia’s national parks to world-class standards.
Indonesia currently manages 57 national parks, which play a vital role in conserving the country’s rich biodiversity. The government believes a new financing and management approach is necessary so that national parks can remain conservation hubs while also supporting sustainable ecotourism.
Officials emphasized that commercial activities within national parks will be carefully regulated to avoid mass tourism. Conservation and environmental protection will remain the primary objective, while economic benefits for surrounding communities will be developed in a responsible manner.
As an initial step, the government plans to develop several pilot projects, including in Way Kambas National Park in Lampung. The program will also address long-standing human–elephant conflicts in nearby communities through mitigation measures such as building protective barriers and implementing community empowerment programs.
Through these policies, the government aims to strengthen wildlife conservation and improve national park management while generating sustainable economic opportunities for local communities. (*)
