Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto plans to establish a task force to develop innovative financing and improve the management of Indonesia’s national parks, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said after a meeting at the State Palace on Thursday.

The task force will be created through a presidential decree and will focus on strengthening funding mechanisms for the country’s 57 national parks, which the minister said have long suffered from limited budgets and inadequate management.

“A task force on innovative financing and national park management will soon be established through a presidential decree,” Raja Juli said at the palace complex. “As we know, Indonesia has 57 national parks, and unfortunately, many of them have been managed with very limited funding.”

According to Raja Juli, the task force will be chaired by Prabowo's brother, businessman Hashim Djojohadikusumo, with Raja Juli and economist Mari Elka Pangestu serving as deputy chairs.

The initiative aims to explore sustainable and innovative funding sources, including partnerships with the private sector, to improve conservation efforts and upgrade the quality of national parks.

“We will seek innovative and sustainable financing, including involving the private sector, so that our national parks can become world-class parks where forests remain protected and wildlife is well preserved,” Raja Juli said.

During the meeting, Raja Juli also said the president is preparing an instruction to protect the populations and habitats of the Sumatran and Bornean elephants, part of broader conservation efforts.

He added that Prabowo has pledged to dedicate around 90,000 hectares of his own land for elephant habitat conservation.

As an initial step, the government plans to launch pilot projects to improve national park management, including at Way Kambas National Park, which is known for its elephant conservation program.

To address frequent human–elephant conflicts in the area, the government will allocate presidential assistance funds to build barriers such as fences or canals separating the park from nearby villages.

“The president has decided to prepare funding to build barriers between Way Kambas National Park and surrounding settlements to reduce conflicts between elephants and local communities,” Raja Juli said.

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