inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni emphasized the urgency of conservation measures to save protected flora and fauna from the threat of extinction, including the conservation of the Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus), which is supported by President Prabowo Subianto.
"We are all aware and this is our shared challenge in responding to the cries of our natural environment," said Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni, Monday (8/11/2025).
To that end, the Minister outlined several steps the government has taken and will take, starting with Sumatran elephant conservation through the Peusangan Elephant Conservation Initiative (PECI) in Aceh, which is being implemented on land donated by President Prabowo.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Forestry, along with the Forest Area Control Task Force (PKH), is also currently regulating the Tesso Nilo National Park area, which is the location of one of the elephant enclaves from illegal oil palm plantations.
There are currently 22 elephant habitat pockets or areas remaining in Sumatra, a drastic decrease from the 44 locations identified in the 1980s.
Minister Raja Juli also identified a number of protected species whose existence is threatened, including the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) and orangutans, of which there are three species in Indonesia: the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), and the Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis).
"This is a good moment for us to remind ourselves how extraordinary our conservation challenges are," said Raja Juli
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