The new estimate represents a decline of 41-45% over the 2,400-2,800 estimate published by Indonesia in 2007.The launch of the new 2026-2036 strategy and action plan for elephant conservation comes after a long wait since the current plan expired in 2017.The new plan sorts Indonesia’s wild elephants into 21 population pockets in Sumatra and one in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo.
A new 10-year plan for elephant conservation released by the Indonesian government places the country’s wild elephant population at an estimated 1,325-1,648 individuals.
The previous figure, published in 2007, was 2,400-2,800 individuals, meaning the new estimate represents a decline of 41-45%.
The launch of the 2026-2036 strategy and action plan comes after a long wait. After the 2007-2017 elephant plan expired, the government was supposed to release a new one. While a draft 2019-2029 plan was completed in 2017, then-President Joko Widodo’s administration never finalized the plan or shared it with the public.
The draft 2019-2029 plan, seen by Mongabay, placed Indonesia’s elephant population at just 928-1,379 individuals, Mongabay reported in 2022.
