Indonesia’s New Elephant Protection Policy Sets Conservation Benchmark

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 8/2026 on the Acceleration of Elephant Protection is being hailed as a new milestone in strengthening Indonesia's wildlife conservation policies.

The regulation places elephant protection firmly on the national development agenda, involving ministries, regional administrations, businesses, schools, and the public, with the Ministry of Forestry tasked with implementation.

“Through this Presidential Instruction, President Prabowo Subianto has provided a clear direction that protecting elephant populations and habitats is a national development agenda requiring the involvement of all ministries, institutions, regional administrations, the business sector, academics, and the public. This represents a fundamental paradigm shift for the future of elephant conservation in Indonesia,” said Wahdi Azmi, a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG), in Jakarta on Friday, July 10, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

Wahdi noted that the Ministry of Forestry has promoted a landscape-based conservation approach, moving away from fragmented efforts, to ensure comprehensive protection of elephant habitats and populations.

“From the beginning, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has encouraged systemic, landscape-based protection of elephant population pockets. The issuance of this Presidential Instruction reflects that policy direction, ensuring integrated protection through cross-sectoral collaboration,” he said.

The instruction focuses on preventing the extinction of the critically endangered Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) and Bornean elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), whose populations remain under pressure from habitat loss.

It shifts conservation from being solely the responsibility of the forestry sector to a national development agenda involving multiple stakeholders.

Under the instruction, the Ministry of Forestry is mandated to develop a Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (SRAK) as a guideline for elephant protection, including maintaining landscape connectivity amid ongoing development.

Wahdi emphasized that Inpres No. 8/2026 complements existing policies, including Presidential Instruction No. 1/2023 on mainstreaming biodiversity in sustainable development, Law No. 32/2024 introducing Preservation Areas, and innovative financing for national park management.

Together, these policies provide a stronger foundation for protecting elephant habitats, maintaining landscape connectivity, supporting forest management, accelerating restoration of cleared areas, encouraging wildlife-friendly infrastructure, and strengthening sustainable conservation financing.

The Ministry of Forestry, in collaboration with the Indonesian Elephant Conservation Forum and other stakeholders, is currently drafting the Conservation Strategy and Action Plan for Sumatran and Bornean elephants.

Wahdi added that ex situ elephant management must be integrated with in situ conservation to ensure all programs operate within a unified system.

He expressed optimism that synergy between the president’s policy and the ministry’s implementation will strengthen elephant conservation and establish Indonesia as a global benchmark for landscape-based conservation. ***