Hashim Djojohadikusumo Appointed to New Position by Prabowo as Head of National Park Financing Innovation Task Force

President Prabowo Subianto has appointed Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Hashim Djojohadikusumo as Chair of the Task Force on Innovative Financing and National Park Management. This was announced by Forestry Minister Raja Juli Anthony following a limited meeting at the State Palace on Thursday (12 March 2026).

Raja Juli explained that the president is preparing a Presidential Decree regarding this task force. The decision was made because many national park areas lack adequate funding.

“The task force will be chaired by Hashim Djojohadikusumo. I will serve as deputy, along with other deputies including Mari Elka Pangestu. We will seek innovative and sustainable funding, including involving the private sector so that our national parks become world-class national parks again,” Raja Juli said after the meeting.

He explained that Indonesia currently has 57 national parks with very minimal funding. National park operations have been oriented as cost centres rather than generating commercial profit.

“They become expenses rather than profit centres. The idea is how to obtain funding from ecotourism, and use that money to improve our national parks,” Raja Juli said.

Raja Juli also stated that the task force will undertake three pilot projects. One will be implemented at Way Kambas National Park.

“We are still discussing the other two, but one could be a mountain such as Rinjani, which is also extraordinarily beautiful, but unfortunately has not been managed optimally so far,” he said.

Furthermore, Raja Juli also reported on the long-running human-elephant conflict at Way Kambas. According to him, the president has decided to allocate funds to protect Way Kambas National Park with barriers separating it from local villages.

“Currently, this is in the trial stage with comprehensive studies, learning from the experiences of Africa and India in managing their national parks. So there will be embankments in several places, but also very strong steel fencing,” he said.