The first-ever World Species Congress, hosted by IUCN Reverse the Red, streamed globally for 24 hours on 15 May 2024. The main theme was celebrating success stories of conservation. As part of the Congress, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Republic of Indonesia, hosted a national satellite event—Pekan Keanekaragaman Hayati (Biodiversity Week)—on 15–17 May 2024, in Jakarta, supported by the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Indonesia Species Specialist Group and various partners, including corporations and NGOs.
The event celebrated the richness of Indonesia's biodiversity and highlighted the urgency of efforts to achieve the targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework, specifically Target 4 (halt extinctions and restore biodiversity). In talks, booths, mini games and performances, government agencies, companies and various organizations shared their efforts for species conservation. Over 7,000 participants attended in-person or online (from government, private sectors, schools, universities and the public), and the event was also broadcast on the Ministry of Environment and Forestry's YouTube channel (Kementerian LHK).
The first day commenced with a keynote speech by Alue Dohong, Vice Minister of Environment and Forestry, followed by the main seminar (Success Story of Wildlife Conservation Efforts in Indonesia). Alue Dohong also moderated the global livestream session on Collaboration to Create a National Species Assessment in Indonesia, which was a panel discussion between Mirza Dikari Kusrini, Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Indonesia Species Specialist Group, and Satyawan Pudyatmoko, Director General of Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems, Ministry of Environment and Forestry. The main outcome of this session was the government's full support to establish a national committee for the Indonesia National Red List.
Other talks included gap analysis of the National Red List assessment, the role of the private sector in wildlife conservation in Indonesia, charismatic species conservation, bird conservation, freshwater and marine species conservation, plant and fungal conservation, and stories from conservation practitioners. Twelve members of the IUCN SSC Indonesia Species Specialist Group participated as speakers, sharing inspiring stories and efforts to conserve biodiversity. The event left us feeling optimistic that the various stakeholders and organizations in Indonesia will collaborate further to drive the success of efforts to prevent species extinction.
Open access
