Prabowo to Soon Issue Presidential Instruction for Saving Elephant Populations and Habitats

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto is said to soon issue an instruction regarding the salvation of the population and habitat of the Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) and the Bornean elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis).

“A Presidential Instruction (Inpres) on the salvation of the elephant population and elephant habitat in Sumatra and Kalimantan will soon be issued,” said the Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni to reporters on Thursday (7/5/2026).

Raja Juli claimed that he had already signed the regulation and that the process is now being coordinated with several agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, and the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency.

According to Raja Juli, this Inpres demonstrates President Prabowo Subianto’s commitment to saving the populations of Sumatran and Kalimantan elephants.

Moreover, both types of elephants have entered the critically endangered phase.

“I was the first to enter this building and receive the report; previously we had 42 elephant pockets. When I entered yesterday, only 21 elephant pockets remained. Therefore, with this Inpres, there will be governance and administrative arrangements for development that prioritise conservation,” he said.

He mentioned that the elephants’ habitats are currently fragmented, causing the animals to frequently leave conservation areas in search of food, then entering palm oil plantation areas, mining regions, and community lands.

“This means that the elephants’ habitats are not only in forest areas, but also in palm oil plantation concessions. Through this Inpres, we will encourage cooperation to build habitat corridors within those palm oil plantations. The same applies to mining concessions,” said Rohmat, quoted from Antara on Monday (16/3/2026).

Through this Inpres, holders of plantation and mining business permits are obliged to share responsibility.

The government wants to ensure that permit holders have a strong commitment to maintaining elephant movement routes in their operational areas because the elephant population continues to decline and their status is protected.