The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, has recently conducted a meeting with King Charles III as Indonesia continues to underscore its commitment to strengthening international cooperation in environmental conservation.
Subianto met King Charles III in London, England, on Wednesday, the 21st of January. Their meeting resulted in a commitment from both countries to cooperate on ecosystem restoration and environmental conservation, particularly within Indonesia’s national parks. Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated in a press briefing on the following Thursday (the 22nd of January) that the main focus of Subianto’s meeting with King Charles III was collaboration in environmental and nature conservation.
“The key point is that there is cooperation and a commitment from the United Kingdom to assist Indonesia in restoring ecosystems and enhancing conservation efforts across 57 national parks in Indonesia,” Wijaya explained.
Such a cooperation includes support for ongoing conservation initiatives in several strategic areas. One area of particular focus is Way Kambas National Park in Lampung, which is widely recognised as a centre for Sumatran elephant conservation.
“What is already underway is the work at Way Kambas National Park, which is related to elephant conservation,” Wijaya continued.
In addition to Way Kambas National Park, conservation collaboration is also taking place in the Peusangan area, which is located in the Aceh Province. The Cabinet Secretary explained that the land, which belongs to Subianto, has been handed over to the state for environmental preservation.
He also noted that the total area of Peusangan covers approximately 90,000 hectares across several locations, although not all of it will be designated specifically for elephant conservation.
“Not all of the land will be used for elephant conservation. The WWF [World Wide Fund for Nature] will later determine which areas are allocated for elephants and which are designated for other ecosystems,” Wijaya added.