Jakarta \u2014 Forest and land fires still affecting several parts of\nIndonesia have once again highlighted the importance of protecting\nwildlife habitats.<\/p>\n
As threats to global biodiversity increase, conservation efforts\nrequire not only rescuing animals but also restoring habitats and\nsecuring sustained government support.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Forestry recorded 290 wild animals handled in a\nnational tally as of 8 October 2026. Of these, 96 were orangutans and 78\nproboscis monkeys. The figures include animals found alive and dead.<\/p>\n
Amid threats to wildlife habitats, the government continues to\nstrengthen its response to forest and land fires by deploying personnel,\nconducting firefighting operations and rescuing affected animals.<\/p>\n
The threat fires pose to wildlife is reflected not only in the number\nof animals handled, but also in the damage to their habitats. MapBiomas\nIndonesia data show that, from January to August 2026, a total of 20,363\nhectares of burned land fell within the habitats of four iconic\nIndonesian species.<\/p>\n
In a press release on Wednesday (21 October 2026), the Ministry of\nForestry said it had deployed 1,419 Manggala Agni fire-control personnel\nand 1,000 forestry police, while placing 5,000 civil servants on standby\nto respond to fires. By 19 October 2026, the government had imposed\nadministrative sanctions on 32 companies and brought criminal\nproceedings against 125 legal subjects.<\/p>\n
These efforts matter because the impact of fires does not end when\nthe flames are extinguished. Habitat damage can reduce wildlife\u2019s access\nto food, shelter and breeding grounds.<\/p>\n
Threats to wildlife are not confined to Indonesia. Around the world,\nhabitat loss, climate change and human activity continue to put pressure\non animal populations and disrupt ecosystem balance.<\/p>\n
Mongabay reported on 19 October 2026 that biodiversity loss is not\nalways marked by a species\u2019 extinction. The death of an old female\nelephant, for example, can affect the survival of its herd because of\nher knowledge of water sources during droughts. The loss of elephant\nherds can also hinder seed dispersal and forest regeneration.<\/p>\n
These threats are now under discussion at the United Nations\nBiodiversity Conference, or COP17, being held in Yerevan, Armenia, from\n19 to 30 October 2026.<\/p>\n
COP17: The world races to protect biodiversity<\/strong><\/p>\n Threats to wildlife and ecosystems are a focus of COP17, the United\nNations Biodiversity Conference taking place in Yerevan, Armenia, from\n19 to 30 October 2026.<\/p>\n The meeting gives countries an opportunity to assess implementation\nof the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed in\n2022.<\/p>\n Under the agreement, countries have pledged to protect at least 30%\nof the world\u2019s land and waters and restore 30% of degraded ecosystems by\n2030.<\/p>\n COP17 is the first global review of progress towards the framework\u2019s\n23 biodiversity targets. The 2030 deadline is now only four years\naway.<\/p>\n The record of the previous agreement shows that protecting nature\nremains a major challenge. None of the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets,\nset for achievement by 2020, was fully met at the global level.<\/p>\n Funding is also an obstacle. According to a report cited by the\nAssociated Press, global biodiversity funding is targeted to reach\nUS$200 billion a year by 2030, while current funding is estimated at\nonly US$75 billion to US$92 billion annually.<\/p>\n This leaves an annual funding gap of about US$108 billion to US$125\nbillion compared with the target.<\/p>\n The scale of the shortfall shows that international commitments still\nface difficulties in implementation. Nevertheless, some countries are\nbeginning to demonstrate that consistent environmental protection can\nproduce tangible results.<\/p>\n Brazil, for instance, has reduced deforestation in the Amazon\nrainforest to its lowest level since records began in 1988.<\/p>\n Amazon records its lowest deforestation rate<\/strong><\/p>\n Amid global biodiversity threats, some countries are starting to show\nsuccess in curbing forest destruction. Brazil, for example, has recorded\nthe lowest level of deforestation in the Amazon since records began in\n1988.<\/p>\n Reuters reported on 16 October 2026 that data from Brazil\u2019s National\nInstitute for Space Research (INPE) showed 3,335 square kilometres (km\u00b2)\nof Amazon rainforest were deforested between August 2025 and July\n2026.<\/p>\n That was a fall of about 42% from the previous period and below the\nearlier low of 4,571 km\u00b2 recorded in 2011-12.<\/p>\n The achievement came under President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva, who\nhas pledged since taking office in 2023 to end Amazon deforestation by\n2030. The effort has been supported by stronger forest monitoring, law\nenforcement and environmental protection policies.<\/p>\n Conditions also improved in the Cerrado savannah, where deforestation\nfell by about 24% to 5,517 km\u00b2, the lowest level since records began in\n2001.<\/p>\n However, the durability of these gains remains uncertain amid\npolitical shifts. Brazil is due to hold a second round of presidential\nelections on 25 October 2026, which could influence the next\ngovernment\u2019s environmental policies.<\/p>\n The situation shows that conservation success depends not only on\ncurrent policies, but also on governments consistently maintaining\nenvironmental protections over the long term.<\/p>\n Tanzania\u2019s blue gecko shows conservation can\nwork<\/strong><\/p>\n Conservation success can also be seen in East Africa\u2019s Tanzania,\nwhere populations of the electric-blue Williams\u2019 electric blue day gecko\n(Lygodactylus williamsi) have recovered.<\/p>\n The species had faced the threat of extinction because of the exotic\npet trade and habitat destruction. Collectors even cut down native\nplants where the geckos lived in order to catch them.<\/p>\n According to Mongabay, an international ban on commercial trade\nintroduced in 2017 helped ease pressure on wild populations. Captive\nbreeding has also reduced demand for geckos caught in the wild.<\/p>\n Protection efforts were subsequently extended through habitat\nrestoration in Kimboza Forest. Since 2016, local residents, conservation\nofficers and researchers have removed nearly 100,000 invasive Spanish\ncedar trees that were disrupting the growth of native vegetation.<\/p>\n They also plant about 5,000 native trees each year and work to\nprevent forest fires. These efforts have reduced fires by about 80% and\nhelped the gecko population recover.<\/p>\n Tanzania\u2019s success shows that protecting wildlife takes more than a\ntrade ban. Habitat restoration, community involvement and sustained\nfunding are all important to the recovery of animal populations.<\/p>\n Indonesia has a major role in wildlife\nprotection<\/strong><\/p>\n The experiences of Brazil and Tanzania show that successful\nconservation requires consistent government policies and community\ninvolvement in protecting and restoring wildlife habitats.<\/p>\n This is relevant to Indonesia, particularly as forest and land fires\nthreaten wildlife. Alongside firefighting and law enforcement, habitat\nprotection requires ongoing monitoring and environmental\nrestoration.<\/p>\n One initiative is the Fire-Aware Community (Masyarakat Peduli Api, or\nMPA). The Ministry of Forestry records 14,040 MPA members across 34\nprovinces who support fire prevention and initial response. The\ngovernment also aims to establish 500 Sustainable MPA groups in 2026;\n119 have been formed, while another 61 are in the process of being\nestablished.<\/p>\n Community involvement needs to be backed by funding, training,\nequipment and protection if conservation efforts are to continue over\nthe long term.<\/p>\n Mongabay reported that technologies such as satellite imagery can\nhelp monitor forest damage, but conservation success still depends on\nthe people protecting and restoring habitats on the ground.<\/p>\n This echoes the message of the late primatologist Jane Goodall, who\nencouraged people to take an active role in protecting their local\nenvironment.<\/p>\n Ultimately, conservation success should be measured not merely by the\narea of protected land or international commitments, but by the\npreservation of forests, the recovery of habitats and the survival of\nwildlife.<\/p>\n With the 2030 deadline for global biodiversity targets approaching,\nthe challenge for governments is not only to save species from\nextinction, but also to ensure that conservation gains endure for future\ngenerations.<\/p>",
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