Indonesia and UK Deepen Collaboration on Conservation and Sustainable Financing

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia and the United Kingdom are advancing their partnership in nature conservation, biodiversity protection, and sustainable financing for protected areas.

The commitment was reaffirmed during a bilateral meeting between Indonesian Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni and U.K. Special Representative for Nature Ruth Davis during London Climate Action Week at the Kew Gardens Orangery on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

The talks focused on the implementation of Indonesia’s newly established Landscape and Iconic Species Conservation Task Force, created under Presidential Decree No. 8/2026.

The task force is mandated to strengthen conservation, mobilize innovative financing, support the FOLU Net Sink 2030 target, and develop sustainable models for managing protected areas.

Minister Raja Juli welcomed the UK’s support, including an initial £2 million contribution announced in April. “Indonesia already has strong legal foundations and high-level political backing for conservation," he said, as quoted by Antara.

"The next challenge is translating this mandate into policy reforms, replicable pilot projects, and measurable conservation outcomes for both communities and the environment,” he added.

He stressed that innovative financing is intended to complement government funding, not privatize national parks. All approaches, he added, will uphold transparency, accountability, ecological integrity, and equitable benefits for surrounding communities.

Both sides also discussed the Peusangan Elephant Conservation Initiative (PECI) as a model that integrates species protection, community economic empowerment, and long-term investment in conservation.

Indonesia currently manages 57 national parks covering nearly 18 million hectares, home to globally iconic species and critical ecosystems. The minister said that blended finance, philanthropy, and public funding are being explored to close significant conservation financing gaps.

The meeting underscored the importance of international collaboration in tackling biodiversity loss and climate change.

“Indonesia and the U.K. agreed to strengthen dialogue and explore concrete opportunities to support effective, inclusive, and sustainable management of protected areas,” Minister Raja Juli concluded.

This partnership highlights Indonesia’s growing role in global conservation efforts and its commitment to advancing sustainable biodiversity protection through innovative and inclusive approaches. ***