Indonesia Promotes Innovative Financing for Biodiversity Conservation

RRI.CO.ID, London – Indonesia's Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, reaffirmed the country's commitment to building a strong, sustainable, and globally competitive conservation system by developing innovative investment-based financing for protected areas and biodiversity conservation. The statement was delivered during the Peusangan Elephant Conservation Initiative (PECI) Roundtable Meeting in London, England, held as part of London Climate Action Week 2026 on Thursday, June 25, 2026.

He said Indonesia is developing a new approach to conservation management that no longer relies solely on public funding, but instead opens opportunities for credible, high-integrity investments that deliver tangible benefits for communities, nature, and the climate.

"Indonesia is not merely developing a financing strategy. We are building a new conservation governance paradigm in which national parks achieve financial independence, local communities become key partners, the private sector plays a meaningful role, and the government provides a strong regulatory framework to ensure that all mechanisms operate in an accountable and sustainable manner," Raja Juli said in a press statement received in Jakarta on Friday, June 26, 2026.

He explained that, following directives from President Prabowo Subianto, the government has established an Innovative Financing Task Force for National Park Management and Iconic Species Conservation.

The task force is chaired by the President's Special Envoy for Climate and Energy, Hashim S. Djojohadikusumo, with support from the President's Special Envoy for Trade and Multilateral Cooperation, Mari Elka Pangestu. Raja Juli serves as Deputy Chair for Regulatory Reform.

According to him, the task force aims to enable at least 13 national parks and two iconic species conservation landscapes to achieve financial self-sufficiency by 2030 through regulatory reform, institutional strengthening, and the development of innovative financing instruments.

He added that the government has also introduced the concept of "Natural Ecosystems as a New Asset Class," which views natural ecosystems as strategic assets capable of generating sustainable economic value while preserving their ecological functions.

The financing instruments under development include carbon credits, biodiversity credits, species conservation bonds (species bonds), ecotourism, bioprospecting, the sustainable use of non-timber forest products, and various public-private partnership schemes.

As a flagship pilot project, the government introduced the Peusangan Elephant Conservation Initiative (PECI) in Aceh, which is designed to integrate wildlife protection, habitat connectivity, and community economic development within a single conservation landscape.

Raja Juli also invited the global investment community, development partners, philanthropic organizations, and other stakeholders to collaborate in supporting Indonesia's conservation financing transformation.

"We welcome partnerships through technical expertise, technology transfer, program implementation support, and mutually agreed innovative financing mechanisms. Global collaboration will accelerate our efforts to protect biodiversity while creating sustainable economic benefits," he said.