Carbon Trading and Premium Tourism in Way Kambas National Park

A RED speedboat cut across the Java Sea toward Way Kambas National Park (TNWK) in East Lampung, Lampung Province, on Thursday afternoon, January 28, 2026. Departing from a small pier in Kuala Penet, the boat headed to Wako, the park’s core zone.

Karen Brooks, the former White House Director for Asian Affairs, had traveled to the heart of the conservation area several times. When she arrived with her team in the first half of 2025, Brooks rented three speedboats. They carried equipment including bags, tents, and Starlink wireless Internet devices. The journey took about four hours through sea, river, and swamp before reaching the Wako estuary. From there, they trekked on foot across savanna thick with tall grass.

Romi, the owner of the red speedboat, was among those who took Brooks’ group to survey Wako last year. “Just once,” said the Kuala Penet resident when contacted again by Tempo via WhatsApp on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.

Brooks has made at least eight long trips to the remote eastern tip of Sumatra. She is pursuing an exclusive tourism venture in Way Kambas along with a carbon-trading scheme. Two companies affiliated with her—Wilderness Holdings Limited and Carbon Ark—are set to carry out the plan.

A member of Brooks’ team, Hari Kaskoyo, noted six eco-friendly lodging units would be built in Wako. He said the ecotourism concept in the core zone of Way Kambas National Park would likely mirror eight lodges in several African countries, including Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, all managed by Wilderness.

Way Kambas National Park in Lampung, January 28, 2026. Tempo/Martin Yogi Pardamean

Tourists, Hari said, would be taken on wildlife tours in Wako and Kalibiru in Way Kanan. Sumatran elephants, whose population is estimated at fewer than 1,500, frequently pass through the area. White-bellied sea eagles are often spotted in the skies over Way Kanan. Troops of long-tailed macaques animate the dense forest in Wako, crowded with towering trees.

The tourism packages offered by Wilderness targeted only affluent travelers. According to Hari, under the company’s draft plan, tourists must pay US$14,000 per night. “This is limited conservation tourism,” said Hari, a lecturer at the Forestry Department of the University of Lampung, in an online interview with Tempo on Tuesday, February 3.

Brooks recruited Hari last year to analyze carbon potential and invasive plants in the heart of Way Kambas. The carbon calculation had yet to be completed. A Forestry Ministry document obtained by Tempo stated that carbon stock in Way Kambas totaled 31 million tons. Using the benchmark of Indonesia’s carbon sale price to the Norwegian government of Rp99,000 (about US$5.9) per ton, the economic value of carbon in Way Kambas reached Rp3.1 trillion (US$184.5 million).

The problem is that the core zone cannot be designated for business activity. Brooks’ plan clashes with Law No. 32/2024 on the Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Their Ecosystems, which stipulates that the core zone of a national park must remain untouched by human intervention.

Undeterred, Brooks asked the Forestry Ministry to change the core zone into a utilization zone so that, once permits were secured, her business would be legal.

Forestry Ministry documents obtained by Tempo state that the government has prepared 33,000 hectares for Brooks’ carbon project. Of that, 19,000 hectares are allocated for a protection carbon mechanism, while the remainder is designated for afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation (ARR) schemes

For Brooks’ exclusive tourism project, the Forestry Ministry has also allocated 4,600 hectares of land. Her proposal shows that she would not merely build a resort for lodging. It also includes a helipad to transport tourists to and from the Way Kambas tourism site.

The proposed rezoning of Way Kambas National Park to accommodate Brooks’ proposal would reduce the size of the core zone. In 2020, the core zone covered more than 59,000 hectares. If Brooks’ request were adopted, the core zone would shrink to about 28,000 hectares, or 22 percent of the park’s total area.

Two Forestry Ministry officials familiar with zoning mechanisms said changes in national park zoning are permissible to safeguard conservation. The core zone can be converted into a wilderness zone (serving as a buffer and remaining off-limits to humans), a utilization zone, a religious and cultural tourism zone, or a rehabilitation zone. But as the heart of the conservation area, they said, the size of the core zone must not change.

Ahmad Munawir, former Director of Conservation Area Planning at the Forestry Ministry, rejected that view. He said changes to the size of a core zone are possible to strengthen conservation efforts and meet certain needs. For example, if indigenous communities require water within a core zone, the area can be converted into a utilization zone.

Munawir claimed the rezoning of Way Kambas aimed to safeguard conservation. He denied reports that the revision was intended to accommodate Brooks’ business interests. “It’s naive to think the rezoning of Way Kambas happened solely because of that issue,” said Munawir, now Director of Species and Genetic Conservation at the Forestry Ministry, when met by Tempo at IPB University in Bogor, West Java, on Saturday, February 14, 2026.

Tempo repeatedly sought comment from Karen Brooks. She initially said she was ill and busy. Brooks had promised an exclusive interview. She also declined to comment when met at the Forestry Ministry office on Friday, February 13, 2026. “It’s better if the government explains,” she said in a WhatsApp message.

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KAREN Brooks’ ambition to run a premium tourism business in Way Kambas National Park began during the administration of President Joko Widodo. She surveyed potential resort sites there in 2019. In early 2020, Brooks presented her plan to then Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar.

Four Environment Ministry officials familiar with the presentation said Siti Nurbaya was not interested in the project. Premium tourism in the core zone, they said, did not comply with regulations. A zoning evaluation conducted by her staff in June 2020 did not alter the core zone area. As of Saturday, February 21, 2026, Siti had not responded to Tempo’s messages or phone calls.

Hari Kaskoyo denied reports that the project had not been accommodated by Siti Nurbaya. “As far as I know, it was delayed because of the (Covid-19) pandemic,” he said.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni with Karen Brooks after a discussion in Jakarta, July 2025. Doc Special

After the end of Jokowi’s administration, Brooks resumed her plan. In early 2025, she returned to Way Kambas and met Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni at his office. Three sources familiar with the meeting said Brooks explained that the core zone required rehabilitation. Based on her team’s survey, she said, the area was filled with invasive plants such as white samet (Melaleuca cajuputi) and Indian rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum).

However, two Forestry Ministry officials said white samet does not fall into the category of invasive species that spread widely and harm the ecosystem in Way Kambas. White samet is native to the park’s swamp and peat ecosystems. The species is even recommended for reforestation in burned peat forests.

Brooks then proposed a carbon environmental-services scheme focused on protection and rehabilitation. Raja Juli initially objected because he would need to change zoning and regulations. Presidential Regulation No. 98/2021 on the Implementation of Carbon Economic Value did not accommodate carbon trading in conservation areas or voluntary markets.

As of Saturday, February 21, 2026, Raja Juli Antoni had not responded to Tempo’s interview requests. The Secretary-General of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) did not reply to written requests sent to the Forestry Ministry building and the party’s office. He also ignored WhatsApp messages and phone calls. On three separate occasions in different locations, Raja Juli declined to answer questions about Karen Brooks.

After hearing Raja Juli’s concerns, according to three sources, Brooks met President Prabowo Subianto at his residence in Hambalang, Bogor. According to an aide, Brooks even stayed overnight at Prabowo’s residence. Her aim was to present her premium tourism and carbon business plans and remove regulatory obstacles.

Prabowo was interested in the presentation. Hari Kaskoyo said the General Chair of the Gerindra Party asked that more than six rooms be built. “If possible, 10 rooms,” Hari said, recounting Brooks’ story.

Prabowo also promised to amend Presidential Regulation No. 98/2021. On October 10, 2025, he fulfilled that pledge. He issued Presidential Regulation No. 110/2025 revising Regulation No. 98. Hari said the new regulation opens the door to carbon trading within conservation areas. “Not only carbon. In the future, there will also be biodiversity credits,” he said.

Officials at the Environment Ministry, which served as the focal point for carbon trading, said they were not invited to help draft the regulatory revision. According to them, the Forestry Ministry worked on it alongside Karen Brooks. An Environment Ministry official who sought clarification about the revision was reportedly reprimanded by a State Palace official.

On the same day the new carbon-trading regulation was issued, Raja Juli Antoni delivered a speech at the Indonesia International Sustainability Forum in Jakarta. He said a US$150 million restoration project would be launched in Way Kambas National Park. He claimed the project would create 750 new jobs, generate economic value of up to US$450 million, and help protect the Sumatran elephant.

A Forestry Ministry document titled “Changes in the Management of Way Kambas National Park,” obtained by Tempo, states that Raja Juli wants park management to strengthen elephant habitat protection while developing world-class ecotourism and carbon environmental services.

Forestry Ministry officials swiftly moved to follow the minister’s directive. Ahmad Munawir sent an official memo to M.H.D. Zaidi, Head of the Way Kambas National Park Agency, instructing him to proceed with rezoning in accordance with the minister’s order.

In November 2025, Karen Brooks followed up with a letter to Zaidi. She formally requested a technical recommendation for the carbon project. “On behalf of Living Landscapes Indonesia, a subsidiary of Carbon Ark, I submit this proposal to explore a strategic partnership with the Government of Indonesia to enhance restoration and protection in TNWK,” Brooks wrote.

The Way Kambas National Park Agency then held a focus group discussion on Thursday, November 13, 2025. Officials and staff from the Forestry Ministry and the park agency discussed Brooks’ proposal. Meeting minutes obtained by Tempo showed that many Forestry Ministry employees questioned her plan.

Zaidi, for instance, said Brooks sought to use the genetically rich core zone of Way Kambas National Park as the site for carbon and premium tourism ventures. He warned that the project could trigger strong internal and external backlash. “The voluntary carbon credit offered by Karen Brooks does not yet align with the protection scheme,” Zaidi said before Ahmad Munawir and Director-General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation Satyawan Pudyatmoko.

Voluntary carbon credit is a carbon trading scheme that allows individuals or companies to trade carbon directly with buyers anywhere in the world.

One discussion participant argued that the locations targeted by Brooks, such as Kalibiru and Wako, were unsuitable for carbon trading. The value of carbon in such schemes is calculated based on additionality, or the increase in tree age. Meanwhile, because the core zone of the conservation area has remained untouched, it has developed mature carbon absorption.

Another official said the restoration sites targeted by Brooks are swamp-shrub habitats rich in biodiversity. No fires had occurred there in six years.

Satyawan Pudyatmoko then asked the park agency to recheck the locations identified by Brooks’ team. According to the meeting minutes, Brooks’ team claimed to have evidence of various degradation threats at the sites.

The TNWK team then conducted a field visit. One of the areas inspected was Kalibiru in Way Kanan. Forestry Ministry documentation obtained by Tempo shows Kalibiru has undergone natural succession. Six years ago, the area had been open land. But when the team inspected it, the site had turned green again.

As of Friday, February 20, 2026, Satyawan had not responded to Tempo’s interview requests. Zaidi referred questions to Ahmad Munawir, who said the rezoning was part of a new management policy aimed at rehabilitating parts of the core zone.

Still, efforts to alter the core zone in Way Kambas moved forward. On December 12, 2025, the park agency held a public consultation on zoning changes at a hotel in Bandar Lampung. However, not all environmental organizations in Lampung were invited.

The agency, for example, did not invite the Lampung Ecosystem Management Network (JKEL), which had frequently criticized the rezoning plan. “Those who disagree will not be invited,” said JKEL Coordinator Almuhery Ali Paksi. Irfan Tri Musri, Regional Executive Director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) Lampung, was also not invited.

Munawir said the invited institutions had worked in Way Kambas for years. He and Zaidi invited critics of the zoning change to an informal discussion that evening at a café in Lampung. “Only two or three people showed up,” he said.

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THE premium tourism and carbon-trading plans advanced by Karen Brooks has drawn criticism from environmental activists. Sunarni Widyastuti of the Family of Nature and Environment Lovers Council said rezoning would disrupt wildlife. “The noise from helicopters could also disturb the elephants’ home range,” she said.

Hari Kaskoyo said the helipad at Way Kambas National Park was intended to transport visitors who wanted to reach the site quickly. Tourists could also use land routes facilitated by village governments. “Local communities will benefit,” Hari said.

Disruption of elephant corridors could heighten conflict between the world’s largest land mammal and humans. On December 31, 2025, Darusman, chief of Braja Asri village in East Lampung, was trampled to death by a wild elephant. Along with several residents, he had tried to drive a herd away from Way Kambas National Park as it approached a residential area.

Karen Brooks conveyed the incident to President Prabowo Subianto during another visit to Hambalang in mid-January 2026. A source familiar with the meeting said elephant-human conflict could affect her project. Prabowo again promised to address it.

President Prabowo Subianto and US President Donald Trump after signing a trade agreement in Washington, D.C., United States, February 19, 2026. BPMI Setpres/White House

Several days later, a State Palace official instructed Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni to design a solution to the conflict. The Forestry Ministry and local government convened a meeting in Bandar Lampung to discuss the matter. Hari Kaskoyo attended as an invitee.

According to Hari, the government would deploy the military to build a 70-kilometer canal and embankment system to prevent elephants from entering residential areas. The government prepared a budget of up to Rp2 trillion (US$119 million) for the project.

On Wednesday, February 2, 2026, Presidential Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change Hashim Djojohadikusumo—who is also the brother of President Prabowo—said the Rp2 trillion would be used for conservation activities in Way Kambas. The funds, he said, would come from the State Budget.

State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, and Chief of the Government Communications Office Angga Raka Prabowo did not respond to interview requests as of Saturday, February 21, 2026. Karen Brooks also declined to elaborate on her plans in Way Kambas.

When met at the Forestry Ministry on Friday, February 13, 2026, after a rezoning meeting for Way Kambas National Park, she said she would be pleased to explain the project to Tempo. “There are many good stories about what the government has done,” she said. Citing her recent arrival from the United States and a pending meeting, she promised to speak at another time.

Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, Executive Chair of the Gerindra Party, said he was unaware of any close relationship between Karen Brooks and Prabowo. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives said he had never seen Brooks at events at the State Palace. “If in Hambalang, perhaps. I rarely go there,” Dasco said.

Investigation Team Team Leader: Stefanus Pramono Project Head: Erwan Hermawan Writers: Erwan Hermawan, Friski Riana, Yosea Arga, Hussein Abri Dongoran, Caesar Akbar Editors: Bagja Hidayat, Fery Firmansyah, Raymundus Rikang, Stefanus Pramono Contributors: Francisca Christy Rosana, Ghoida Rahmah, Han Revanda, Adil Al Hasan, Ervana Trikarinaputri Designer: Rio Ari Seno English Editor: Krisna Adhi Pradipta, Luke Edward Photo Researchers: Jati Mahatmaji, Charisma Adristy, Fardi Bestari