A three-year grant cannot sustain a twenty-year recovery. Will Indonesia’s conservation be defined by projects, or by systems built to outlast grants and politics?
Indonesia is at a pivotal moment for conservation. A new administration, a renewed direction for national parks and protected areas, and the Indonesia Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2025–2045 have created an important opportunity to strengthen landscape and seascape protection while linking conservation more closely with finance and measurable outcomes.
But policy alone is not enough. Indonesia has no shortage of conservation expertise or successful community-led, Indigenous and ecosystem restoration initiatives. The challenge is creating the long-term systems needed to sustain these efforts. Too many conservation projects still rely on short funding cycles, even though restoring ecosystems, protecting species and supporting community stewardship often takes decades. Without lasting finance, strong institutions and local leadership, progress can quickly be lost.
This lab explores how Indonesia can turn today's policy momentum into long-term conservation success. It will examine how recovery plans, community governance, local institutions, credible measurement and patient financing can work together to build conservation systems that last. Bringing together conservation leaders, Indigenous communities, scientists, investors, donors and policymakers, the session focuses on practical solutions to reduce short-term thinking, strengthen collaboration and create durable financing models that support nature and the communities who steward it for generations.
