Ecobiz.asia — Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto is preparing two strategic policies to strengthen wildlife conservation and the management of protected areas, including a presidential instruction on elephant protection and a presidential decree establishing a task force on innovative financing for national parks.
The initiatives were discussed during a meeting between the president and Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni at the State Palace on Thursday (March 12, 2026).
According to Raja Juli, the planned presidential instruction will focus on efforts to protect the populations and habitats of the Sumatran elephant and the Bornean elephant, whose numbers are increasingly threatened due to shrinking habitat ranges.
“The number of elephant habitat pockets has declined from 42 to 21. Without serious government intervention, the degradation of these habitats will continue,” Raja Juli said.
Through the instruction, the president will direct relevant ministries and agencies to support the Forestry Ministry in safeguarding elephant populations, including through the establishment of preservation areas and the development of habitat corridors linking fragmented habitats.
One of the measures being prepared is the designation of preservation areas within plantation concession zones, particularly in Sumatra, to provide movement corridors for elephants between habitats.
In addition, the president is also preparing a presidential decree to establish a National Park Financing and Management Innovation Task Force, which will be tasked with developing sustainable funding schemes for conservation areas.
The task force is expected to be chaired by Hashim Djojohadikusumo, with Raja Juli serving as deputy chair alongside Mari Elka Pangestu.
“The task force will explore innovative and sustainable financing sources, including private sector participation, so that our national parks can be managed as world-class conservation areas,” Raja Juli said.
Indonesia currently has 57 national parks, which serve as key centers of biodiversity conservation and provide essential ecosystem services.
The government believes a new approach is needed so that national park management not only focuses on protecting ecosystems but also supports the development of sustainable ecotourism without encouraging mass tourism.
As an initial step, the government plans to launch pilot projects for improved national park management, including at Way Kambas National Park, which will also aim to reduce human–elephant conflicts through measures such as the construction of barriers or canals and community empowerment programs in surrounding areas. ***
