Prabowo Said to Resolve Conflict in Way Kambas National Park Ongoing Since 1983

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni stated that the barrier being constructed in Way Kambas National Park, Lampung, will resolve the human-elephant conflict that has persisted since 1983. According to him, President Prabowo directly instructed him to improve all national parks in Indonesia, including Way Kambas National Park. “The construction of this barrier is part of President Prabowo Subianto’s grand plan to improve the 57 national parks. The President instructed me to repair our national parks,” said Raja Juli in his statement to Kompas.com on Friday (27/3/2026). He noted that Way Kambas National Park is receiving special attention from President Prabowo. The soft launching of the barrier construction in Way Kambas was held by Forestry Minister Raja Juli on Thursday (26/3/2026). According to him, the conflict between elephants and humans in Way Kambas has been ongoing since 1983, or for 43 years. This Indonesian Forestry Minister said that he had reported the conditions and problems in Way Kambas to President Prabowo. Initially, several village heads and sub-district heads only proposed building a barrier along 11 km, but President Prabowo ordered the construction of a barrier along the entire Way Kambas spanning 138 kilometres. He stated that the construction of the barrier in Way Kambas National Park is targeted to be completed at the latest by the end of 2026. He also hopes that this barrier can permanently resolve the human-elephant conflict, which previously caused economic losses, security issues, safety concerns, and even fatalities. “No need to do it in stages over several years; at the latest by the end of the year, in 4-5 months it will be completed, at the latest by the end of the year,” said Raja Juli. Previously reported, the Ministry of Forestry installed a barrier in Way Kambas National Park (TNWK), Lampung, to prevent human-elephant conflicts. The government allocated a budget for constructing a permanent 138-kilometre barrier costing up to Rp 850 billion. “Elephants are one of his favourite animals; President Prabowo’s commitment to preserving the elephant population and permanently ending the human-elephant conflict,” said Raja Juli on Thursday (26/3/2026). Raja Juli added that the barrier will be tested for strength directly using elephants in the coming days. The team designing and building the barrier system consists of the Ministry of Forestry, the Lampung Provincial Government, Kodam XXI/Radin Inten, Polda Lampung, universities, and the local community.