Indonesia Moves Towards Nature-Based Conservation Financing

Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni has stated that Indonesia is moving towards inclusive and sustainable nature-based conservation financing. Indonesia is building a new approach to conservation management that no longer depends entirely on public funding, but instead opens space for credible, high-integrity investments that provide real benefits for communities, nature and the climate. “Indonesia is not just formulating a financing strategy. We are building a new paradigm of conservation governance, where national parks achieve financial independence, communities become primary partners, the private sector plays a meaningful role, and the state provides a strong regulatory framework to ensure all mechanisms run accountably and sustainably,” said Raja Juli Antoni. As part of President Prabowo Subianto’s directives, Indonesia has established a Task Force for Innovative Financing for National Park Management and Iconic Species Conservation. The task force targets at least 13 national parks and two iconic species conservation landscapes to achieve financing independence by 2030. To reach this target, Indonesia is implementing a dual strategy through regulatory reform and institutional strengthening, while simultaneously mobilising investment through the development of innovative financial instruments and strategic partnerships with various parties. Indonesia is also introducing the concept of ‘Natural Ecosystems as a New Asset Class’, an approach that views natural ecosystems as strategic assets capable of generating sustainable economic benefits while maintaining their ecological functions. Instruments being developed include carbon credits, biodiversity credits, species bonds, ecotourism, bioprospecting, non-timber forest product utilisation, and various public-private partnership schemes. This approach is expected to open new investment opportunities that support conservation while improving the welfare of surrounding communities. As a flagship pilot project, Indonesia is introducing the Peusangan Elephant Conservation Initiative in Aceh. The initiative is designed to demonstrate that wildlife protection, habitat connectivity, and community economic development can be integrated within a single conservation landscape. The Minister invited the global investment community, development partners, philanthropic organisations, and various stakeholders to collaborate in supporting Indonesia’s conservation financing transformation. “We welcome partnerships in the form of expertise support, technology transfer, programme implementation support, and mutually agreed innovative financing. Global collaboration will accelerate our efforts to protect biodiversity while creating sustainable economic benefits,” he said.