Indonesia plans to lend endemic animals for conservation

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian government is preparing a conservation funding scheme involving the lending of endemic animals to other countries for a fee.

The initiative will begin with loaning orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) to Japan.

The scheme will be modeled after China’s panda program, according to Satyawan Pudyatmoko, director-general of natural resources conservation and ecosystem (KSDAE) at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. He announced this in Jakarta on Tuesday.

It’s worth noting that the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has recently been split into separate Environment and Forestry Ministries.

Pudyatmoko explained that the pandas currently housed at Taman Safari Bogor were initially borrowed through a government-to-government (G2G) agreement with China, which later transitioned into a business-to-business (B2B) arrangement for a specific period.

Indonesia is responsible for covering the loan fees, maintenance, and healthcare costs for the pandas.

Indonesia has already initiated this process, Pudyatmoko said. “For instance, we’ve partnered with a zoo in Ehime, Japan, to loan orangutans,” he explained.

“A G2G agreement between the Indonesian and Japanese governments will be established, followed by a B2B agreement. The G2G agreement will serve as a framework to ensure the continuation of the B2B cooperation,” he added.

Pudyatmoko assured that the Japanese government has committed to funding the process of loaning orangutans to Japan.

These funds will be allocated to conservation activities in Indonesia, in accordance with the Nagoya Protocol.

“As we know, orangutan conservation is very costly. The Japanese government will support Indonesia’s conservation efforts for orangutans, both within and outside their natural habitats. The specific funding details will be agreed upon by both governments,” he explained.

Similar opportunities may arise for other endemic animals, such as the Sumatran tiger and the Komodo dragon, to be exhibited in zoos abroad.

Pudyatmoko stated that his team will conduct an inventory of Indonesian indigenous animals currently housed in foreign countries.

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