WWF Indonesia Welcomes Forestry Ministry's Plan to Add 70,000 Forest Rangers

WWF Indonesia has welcomed the initiative by Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni to strengthen forest area supervision through the addition of field forestry officers, or forest rangers. The conservation group views the policy as a significant step towards protecting Indonesia’s forests and wildlife.

Aditya Bayunanda, Chairperson of WWF Indonesia, stated that the plan to add 70,000 forest rangers, initiated by President Prabowo Subianto and implemented under Minister Raja Juli Antoni, has been long awaited by the conservation community. He noted that the previous shortage of rangers left high-value conservation areas vulnerable to encroachment, illegal logging, and poaching. He cited Aceh as an example, where a forest area of approximately 3.5 million hectares was guarded by only 32 rangers, a figure he described as highly irrational, adding that ideally one ranger should oversee a maximum of 1,000 hectares.

Bayunanda said the planned increase to 70,000 personnel offers new hope for safeguarding Indonesia’s 125 million hectares of forest, which serve as a habitat for various endemic species. However, he emphasised that the increase in numbers must be matched by improvements in human resource quality, operational resources such as equipment and technology, welfare, and occupational safety guarantees to ensure optimal forest supervision.

WWF Indonesia also expressed support for the Ministry of Forestry’s move to begin strengthening field officers in 13 national parks as a pilot project for innovative financing in national park management.