Deb Haaland Secretary at U.S. Department of Interior | Official website
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Assistant Secretary Carmen G. Cantor concluded a multi-day trip to Thailand and Indonesia on Friday, reaffirming the Department of the Interior’s conservation partnerships across Southeast Asia. The visit emphasized the Department’s long-term commitment to the region through the International Technical Assistance Program (DOI-ITAP), investments in wildlife conservation and protected areas, and collaborations with regional organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In Bangkok, Thailand, Assistant Secretary Cantor joined U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Robert Godec to launch the U.S. Embassy’s new “Virtual Jungle Thailand” campaign aimed at raising awareness about endangered wildlife species. Utilizing extended reality applications, the campaign encourages users to interact safely with virtual wildlife, including tigers and elephants.
Throughout her week in Thailand, Assistant Secretary Cantor highlighted successful U.S.-Thai partnerships to counter wildlife trafficking, including those led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) international law enforcement attaché program. Over the past decade, the Department has built close relationships with the Government of Thailand and non-governmental conservation organizations on countering wildlife trafficking, resulting in various successful joint transnational criminal investigations.
Assistant Secretary Cantor also emphasized the Department’s longstanding partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Regional Development Mission that promotes conservation programs across Southeast Asia. To further this partnership, President Biden announced at the 2022 U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit in Washington, D.C., a new U.S.-ASEAN Alliance for Protected Area Conservation. Led by DOI-ITAP in collaboration with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and ASEAN member states, this alliance aims to expand conservation efforts, combat deforestation, and enhance national park systems.
During her visit, Assistant Secretary Cantor toured USFWS-supported operations at the Royal Thai Police’s Natural Resources Enforcement Division and received a briefing from Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation on its use of SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) patrols across its protected areas system. She also visited Asian elephant conservation projects funded through USFWS grants and Kaeng Krachan National Park.
Assistant Secretary Cantor then traveled to Indonesia where DOI-ITAP has partnered with USAID for over ten years to support national park management, wildlife conservation, peatland restoration, and marine protected areas. In Jakarta, she met with Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry to discuss shared priorities for public land protection; engaged with ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn on environmental goals; and highlighted advancements in Earth observations data sharing with Chairman Laksana Tri Handoko of Indonesia’s Research and Innovation Agency.
Landsat – a collaboration between USGS and NASA – is designed to collect essential data on Earth’s geologic formations and other surface features. Landsat imagery supports efforts to improve environmental sustainability, climate change resiliency, economic growth while maintaining an unparalleled record of Earth's changing landscapes.
Following meetings in Jakarta, Assistant Secretary Cantor visited Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan alongside officials from Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Tanjung Puting is notable for its large population of wild orangutans and carbon-rich peat swamp forests.
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