RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian government plans to establish elephant habitat corridors in plantation and mining areas through a Presidential Instruction (Inpres) to protect elephant populations and habitats in Indonesia.

Deputy Minister of Forestry, Rohmat Marzuki, said the policy seeks to ensure the sustainability of Sumatran and Bornean elephants, whose ranges now extend beyond conservation areas into other land uses.

“This means elephant habitat will not only be in forest areas, but also in Mining Business Permit (IUP) zones and oil palm plantations. Through this Inpres, we will encourage cooperation to establish habitat corridors within oil palm plantations and mining areas,” Rohmat said in Jakarta on Monday, March 16, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

He explained that the corridors are expected to maintain elephant movement routes amid increasingly fragmented habitat conditions. The Presidential Instruction is intended to protect both subspecies of elephants in Indonesia and serve as a basis for coordination between the Ministry of Forestry, business permit holders, and local administrations to safeguard habitats outside conservation areas.

Through this policy, the government aims to ensure that permit holders commit to protecting elephant corridors within their operating areas. Both the Sumatran and Bornean elephants are protected species due to their declining populations.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni previously reported the outcome of his meeting with President Prabowo Subianto at the State Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, March 12, 2026, which included plans to issue a Presidential Instruction on protecting elephant populations and habitats.

He highlighted the sharp decline in elephant habitat over recent decades, noting that the number of habitat pockets has fallen to only 21, down from 42 a few years earlier.

The Presidential Instruction will instruct ministries and agencies to support conservation efforts, including the creation of preservation areas and habitat corridors that allow elephants to move between habitat pockets and reduce population fragmentation. ***