Govt issues presidential decree to save Sumatran, Kalimantan elephants

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto officially issued Presidential Instruction No. 8/2026 to protect endangered Sumatran and Kalimantan elephants and their habitats from regional development, ensuring the species' long-term survival.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni announced the newly signed decree in Jakarta on Friday, stating that the cross-sectoral directive mandates multiple government institutions to actively protect elephant populations and their natural migration paths.

"The Presidential Instruction regulates the involvement of various sectors to ensure the protection of elephant populations and habitats while continuing development," Raja Juli said.

The minister outlined specific directives for state-led infrastructure projects, noting that future development must adapt to existing wildlife migratory patterns rather than disrupt them.

"For example, if the Public Works Ministry builds a road and disrupts the elephants' home range, a dedicated (wildlife) corridor must be constructed,” he explained.

A similar mandate applies to the private and agricultural sectors operating within elephant ranges.

Plantations that currently overlap with established roaming paths are now required to clear designated spaces and enrich them into localized preservation areas to ensure a sufficient food supply for the wildlife.

The directive formally binds eight cabinet ministries to a unified conservation framework.

It includes the Forestry Ministry, Agriculture Ministry, Home Affairs Ministry, Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Ministry, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Public Works Ministry, Environment Ministry, Finance Ministry, as well as Investment and Downstreaming Ministry.

Beyond ministries, the instruction places direct responsibility on the National Police, as well as governors, regents, and mayors across the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan to actively enforce protective measures on the ground.

Closing his statement, Raja Juli noted that the landmark policy coincided with the one-month milestone of a newborn elephant calf at Tesso Nilo National Park, symbolically dedicating the long-term conservation framework to the next generation of Indonesian wildlife.

"All ministries mandated by this Presidential Instruction are obligated to protect the homes of Seroja, Domang, and their friends. God willing, we will implement this even better in the field," he concluded, referring to the names of the baby elephants.

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Translator: Arnidhya Nur Zhafira, Yashinta Difa

Editor: Rahmad Nasution

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