Indonesia sets aside 87,000 hectare for orangutan conservation

hartono · Jul 13, 2026

Indonesia sets aside 87,000 hectare for orangutan conservation

Pongo pygmaeus morio, the Northeast Bornean orangutan, is an endemic subspecies classified as Critically Endangered that inhabits the lowland tropical rainforests of Kutai National Park, particularly in the Prevab and Sangkima areas. /ANTARA/HO-Kutai National Park Office.

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has prepared an 87,000-hectare conservation area in East Kalimantan to strengthen habitat protection for orangutans, one of the country's endemic species.

"The process is already underway. It has taken a long time, but the proposed multi-stakeholder conservation area covers 87,000 hectares," Antoni said in a statement issued in Jakarta on Monday.

He said the ministry would soon issue a letter of support for the orangutan conservation initiative, which has been developed in collaboration with multiple stakeholders. The ministry is also preparing a ministerial decree to establish a Working Group for Integrated Orangutan Conservation in the Keraitan Landscape.

According to Antoni, the conservation initiative has gone through a lengthy process and is now entering its final administrative stage.

"We are now in the final phase. I will issue a letter of support for orangutan conservation and habitat protection efforts proposed by the Conservation Action Network (CAN). It should be completed within the next one or two days," he said.

The minister said the establishment of the conservation area represents an important step toward strengthening orangutan habitat protection through collaboration among the government, conservation organizations, and companies holding business permits in the area.

He explained that the conservation area would function as a wildlife corridor connecting fragmented orangutan habitats across the Keraitan Landscape.

"By establishing the conservation area proposed by our colleagues, we will be able to save even more orangutans, including young individuals," Antoni said.

He added that he would closely monitor the implementation of the conservation area together with the Conservation Action Network (CAN) on the ground..

According to Antoni, CAN has informed the ministry that all companies operating within the proposed conservation area have committed to supporting the initiative and have signed a joint agreement.

"This commitment is expected to strengthen habitat protection and accelerate efforts to rescue orangutans affected by habitat loss," he said.