Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni informed that an elephant conservation program has been initiated in Takengon, Aceh, in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on an industrial forest concession donated by President Prabowo Subianto.“It has begun operations with a community empowerment process,” the minister said on Tuesday.
According to Antoni, the conservation program started with the establishment of the Peusangan Elephant Conservation Initiative (PECI) Aceh in collaboration with WWF.
He said that a conservation area management road map, which includes food enrichment involving the community, has been developed for the program.
“I have visited the location twice. They already have a road map to manage Aceh PECI, including food enrichment to prevent elephants from entering residential areas. I will continue to update the President regarding the progress,” he added.
The conservation area also features a salt lake, a designated salt area.
“There will be a salt area which is crucial for elephants,” he said.
Earlier, President Subianto announced the handover of 90 thousand hectares of his industrial forest concession in Takengon, Aceh, as a wild elephant protection area.
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He conveyed the information while delivering a speech at the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) Congress at the KH Ahmad Dahlan Edutorium in Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta on Sunday (July 20, 2025).
The head of state said that the initiative started with a request from WWF representatives, who initially sought 10 thousand hectares. However, he offered 20 thousand hectares of land.
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This news was heard by King Charles III of England, one of the advisors of WWF.
President Prabowo said that he received a thank you letter from King Charles III, which was delivered directly by the British Ambassador to Indonesia, Dominic Jeremy, at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.
In response to the letter, the President decided to donate 90 thousand hectares out of the total 98 thousand hectares of land under his authority.
