RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has established a new task force to design innovative financing schemes for 13 priority national parks and the protection of iconic species, including Komodo dragons and orangutans. This move was announced during a meeting with national media editors-in-chief at the Ministry of Forestry office in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.

Led by Hashim Djojohadikusumo, the task force was formed under Presidential Decree Number 8 of 2026, with Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni and economist Mari Elka Pangestu serving as deputy chairs. The task force's creation addresses the significant funding gap in the management of Indonesia's conservation areas.

Data presented indicates that current funding covers only about 26 percent of the ideal amount needed to manage the country's 57 national parks, which span 27 million hectares. To bridge this gap, the government plans to combine public, private, and philanthropic funds with carbon credits and thematic financial instruments, such as "species bonds."

The national parks designated as initial priorities include renowned areas such as Komodo, Mount Rinjani, and Wakatobi; these were selected based on their biodiversity value, the presence of iconic species, and carbon potential. Each area will implement a distinct financing model tailored to its ecosystem characteristics and the socio-economic conditions of local communities.

Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, emphasized that this initiative is not an attempt to commercialize national parks, but rather a strategy to strengthen ecosystem protection while generating economic benefits for surrounding communities. "The principle is 'ecology before tourism,'" Raja Juli asserted.

He identified local community involvement as a key element of the program's design, stressing that the community's rights regarding these areas must be balanced with the obligation to preserve the forests. This task force operates independently yet in a mutually supportive manner with the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force, which is responsible for regulating illegal plantation and mining activities within protected forest areas.

Moving forward, the program's sustainability will depend on the strengthening of regulations, multi-stakeholder partnerships, and transparency in the management of conservation funds. The government hopes that this new financing model can serve as an example for other countries facing similar challenges in funding long-term biodiversity protection.