Forestry Minister Deemed to Strengthen Indonesia's Commitment to Global Elephant Conservation
Jakarta, VIVA – The Indonesian Government’s policy to strengthen protection of Sumatran and Bornean elephants has drawn appreciation from the international conservation community.
The government’s step through Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 8 of 2026 is seen as further strengthening Indonesia’s position as one of the countries playing an important role in elephant conservation in the Asian region.
Heidi Riddle, Chair of the IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group, said Indonesia has demonstrated a steadily growing commitment to elephant protection over many years. According to her, one key milestone was the hosting of the Asian Elephant Range States Meeting in Jakarta in 2017, which produced the Jakarta Declaration for Asian Elephant Conservation 2017.
“From a global perspective, Indonesia has shown an increasingly strong commitment to elephant conservation over the years. One important milestone was when Indonesia hosted the Asian Elephant Range States Meeting in Jakarta in 2017, which produced the Jakarta Declaration for Asian Elephant Conservation 2017, the first formal declaration agreed jointly by all Asian elephant range states as a regional commitment to strengthen elephant conservation,” she told journalists on Saturday, 18 July 2026.
According to Heidi, following the declaration, Indonesia has continued to strengthen various conservation policies, including through a landscape-based conservation approach and cross-sector collaboration.
“Since then, Indonesia has continued to strengthen various policies, develop landscape-based conservation approaches, and encourage cross-sector collaboration as part of its elephant conservation strategy,” she said.
She assessed that the issuance of Inpres Number 8 of 2026 is a continuation of that commitment, as it strengthens coordination among ministries and agencies in safeguarding elephant populations and habitats.
“On behalf of the IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group, we reaffirm our commitment to continue supporting the Indonesian Government through the sharing of experience, scientific knowledge, and the expertise of our members from various Asian elephant range states. We believe Indonesia will continue to play an important role as one of the leaders in elephant conservation in the region, while inspiring other countries in building a better future for Asian elephants,” she said.