Prabowo to Appoint Hashim to Lead National Park Financing Task Force

The Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni announced that President Prabowo Subianto will appoint Hashim Djojohadikusumo as chairman of the Task Force for Innovation in National Park Financing and Management. Raja Juli met with President Prabowo at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday afternoon to discuss, amongst other matters, the formation of the national park financing task force.

“In the brief meeting with President Prabowo Subianto, I discussed several matters. First, a presidential decree will be issued shortly, and a presidential instruction will also be issued soon. The presidential decree concerns innovative financing for national park management, which will be led by Pak Hashim Djojohadikusumo, with me serving as deputy chairman,” Raja Juli said when addressing reporters at the Palace on Thursday afternoon.

In the task force’s organisational structure, Mari Elka Pangestu will also serve as deputy chairman. “We will seek innovative and sustainable funding, including involvement of the private sector, so that once again our national parks become world-class parks. The forests are protected, the forests are preserved, and at the same time the wildlife that is our pride, the wealth of this nation, can also be properly preserved,” Raja Juli stated.

The Forestry Minister explained that Indonesian national parks have been managed with “very minimal” funding. The Directorate General overseeing all national parks across Indonesia, according to Raja Juli, manages a relatively smaller budget compared to other directorates.

“We hope that by revitalising these national parks and seeking private funding or sponsorship, national parks will eventually be able to finance themselves, so that communities will prosper more through increased income from eco-tourism. I must emphasise eco-tourism. The key is ecology, nature, not mass-tourism,” Raja Juli said.

If national parks achieve financial independence, Raja Juli believes they will become profit centres, as national parks in Africa and the Americas have done.