Deputy Forestry Minister Rohmat Marzuki said the order will cover Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus) and Bornean elephants (Elephas maximus borneensis) as part of President Prabowo Subianto’s wildlife conservation commitment.
He said the instruction aims to integrate multiple ministries and agencies, along with regional governments, to protect elephant habitats, many of which are now fragmented.
“Elephant habitats are no longer limited to conservation areas. Some extend into plantations, mining concessions, and community lands,” Marzuki told reporters in Jakarta on Monday, highlighting the challenge of protecting roaming corridors.
He added that the instruction will encourage partnerships to establish habitat corridors within palm oil plantations and mining concessions, ensuring elephants can safely move across fragmented landscapes.
The measure will also require permit holders to commit to preserving elephant corridors on their lands. Both species are legally protected due to declining populations.
Earlier, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said after a meeting with President Prabowo on March 12 that the instruction would formalize efforts to protect Sumatra and Borneo elephants.
Antoni noted that elephant habitat pockets have fallen sharply from 42 to just 21 in recent decades, underscoring the urgency of coordinated conservation measures.
The presidential instruction will direct relevant ministries and agencies to support the Forestry Ministry in maintaining elephant populations, establishing preservation areas, and creating habitat corridors that connect fragmented pockets to prevent population isolation.
The Sumatran elephant is currently listed as critically endangered, with habitat loss and poaching driving a declining population.
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the population is estimated at only 2,400–2,800 individuals.
The organization warns that poaching for the illegal ivory trade remains a global threat, with ivory still appearing in markets across Africa, Asia, the United States, and Europe.
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Translator: Prisca TV, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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