February 27, 2026 | 05:17 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to strengthen cooperation on cross-border wildlife protection, marked by a meeting on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, between Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni and Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Syed Mohamad Hasrin Tengku Hussin.
“Wildlife does not recognize national borders. Their movements are ecological in nature and not constrained by administrative boundaries, which means conservation approaches must also extend beyond national lines," said Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni in a statement in Jakarta, as quoted on Friday by Antara.
The minister presented a technical report from North Kalimantan regarding the movement of the Kalimantan orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) population across Indonesia's administrative borders into the Malaysian territories of Sabah and Sarawak.
The Bornean orangutan has been listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. In addition to orangutans, cross-border wildlife movements have been recorded in other animals such as elephants and proboscis monkeys.
The Minister emphasized that the Kalimantan forest landscape is a single interconnected ecosystem despite being divided by national administrative borders. Habitat fragmentation, land-use change, and illegal activities increase the vulnerability of animal populations that are already facing extinction threats.
On the same occasion, the Malaysian Ambassador expressed his appreciation and welcomed Indonesia's initiative, stating that Malaysia is ready to strengthen technical collaboration with Indonesia's forestry and conservation authorities.
This cooperation is expected to become a model for cross-border conservation management in the region. The meeting concluded with a commitment to follow up on the discussions in the form of formal cooperation mechanisms and the development of a joint technical framework on wildlife protection efforts.
Read: Indonesia Repatriates Four Orangutans from Illegal Trade in Thailand
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