Forestry Minister: Government focuses on protecting and restoring elephant pockets' ecosystems

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni stated that one of the focuses of the Presidential Instruction (Inpres) on the Conservation of the Population and Habitat of Sumatran and Bornean Elephants is to protect and restore the increasingly diminishing elephant habitat pockets. In a confirmed statement from Jakarta on Saturday, the Minister explained that the issuance of the Inpres aims to safeguard the population of the Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) and the Bornean Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), which are now in a critically endangered phase, with only 21 elephant habitat pockets remaining from the previous 42. “This Inpres demonstrates a very strong commitment from President Prabowo Subianto to save our elephants. Our main focus is on how to execute these ideas concretely in the field. Future development governance must be fully oriented towards conservation,” said Forestry Minister Raja Antoni. During a meeting with environmental activists and influencers in Jakarta on Thursday (7/5), the Minister gave an example that if the Ministry of Public Works (PU) builds a toll road, it must consider the home range map or the elephants’ roaming areas prepared by the Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut). Technical solutions such as providing tunnels or underpasses will be mandatory to keep elephant groups connected without disruption from human activities. The Forestry Minister has instructed his subordinates to maintain and improve the quality of the ecosystems in the remaining 21 elephant pockets. “It is important for us to have accurate data. In the Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (SRAK), there must be clear targets for population increases, for example, in the next five years. If there is no increase, we must identify the problems and solve them,” added the Forestry Minister. As part of a long-term solution, the Forestry Minister also highlighted addressing the human-elephant conflict in Way Kambas, which has persisted for approximately 40 years. Following President Prabowo’s suggestion, the government plans to build effective barriers to prevent casualties on both the human and animal sides, while continuing to restore their native habitats.