Forest Minister: President Prabowo Demonstrates Commitment to Wildlife Conservation and National Parks

Jakarta — The Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni has revealed President Prabowo Subianto’s commitment to wildlife conservation and national parks in Indonesia.

This follows the forthcoming issuance of a Presidential Instruction on Saving the Population and Habitat of Sumatran and Borneo Elephants and a Presidential Decree establishing a Task Force for Innovative Financing and Management of National Parks.

“I have met extensively with international and Indonesian conservation activists, and they greatly appreciate this. They say that President Prabowo Subianto is the president most concerned with wildlife conservation and Indonesian national parks,” said Raja Juli following a limited meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday (12 March 2026).

Raja Juli detailed that the Presidential Instruction will establish preservation areas or corridors allowing elephant movement between habitat pockets and within them (intra-corridor). The Instruction will direct relevant ministers to assist the Forestry Ministry in saving elephant populations, including through creating preservation areas.

“A preservation area is a region that permits elephant corridors between habitat pockets, allowing elephants to move from one pocket to another. This is extremely important,” he explained.

The task force will seek innovative funding to transform national parks into profit centres rather than cost centres, enabling them to become self-financing.

“You can see in Africa and America, national parks actually become profit centres. Here in Indonesia, budgets are limited, habitats are damaged, communities are not prosperous, and animals suffer greatly,” said Raja Juli.

He further noted President Prabowo’s support for wildlife sustainability is demonstrated through presidential funding for building fences and canals protecting Way Kambas National Park in Lampung from human settlements, as protected elephants attempt to enter and cross villages and agricultural lands.

“This reflects that President Prabowo has said elephants are the animals he likes most. Of course, this is not personal preference, but because saving Sumatran and Kalimantan elephant populations and habitats is genuinely important,” Raja Juli concluded.