Synergy Between Civil Service Investigators at the Natural Resources Conservation Agency and Indonesian National Police Investigators in Law Enforcement Against Pangolin Scale Trafficking

Authors

Susi Tutri , Amalia Syauket , Lusia Sulastri

DOI:

10.59888/ajosh.v4i11.770

Published:

2026-08-13

Downloads

Abstract

West Kalimantan, a region characterized by extensive forest areas and high biodiversity, faces a serious threat from the illegal trade of pangolin (Manis javanica) scales. Law enforcement in the conservation sector involves two investigative institutions, namely Civil Servant Investigators (Penyidik Pegawai Negeri Sipil; PPNS) of the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam; BKSDA) and Indonesian National Police Investigators (Penyidik Kepolisian Negara Republik Indonesia; Polri), which operate within a coordination and supervisory relationship (koordinasi dan pengawasan; Korwas). This study aims to analyze the synergy patterns between the two institutions in investigating criminal acts related to pangolin scale trafficking and to identify obstacles that hinder the effectiveness of such cooperation. The research employed normative legal research (yuridis normatif) with a qualitative approach based on a literature review of primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials. The collected data were analyzed descriptively and analytically using the legal hermeneutics method. The findings indicate that although the regulatory framework, particularly Law No. 20 of 2025 concerning Criminal Procedure Law and Law No. 32 of 2024 concerning Natural Resources Conservation Agency (Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam dan Ekosistem; KSDAE), clearly regulates the division of functional roles, its implementation in practice remains constrained by sectoral egos, differing interpretations of criminal elements during the P-19 stage, limited forensic resources, and geographical barriers in border areas. This study recommends strengthening the Korwas function, implementing joint investigation training based on asset tracing approaches, enhancing digital forensic infrastructure, and developing permanent operational protocols for institutional synergy to achieve legal certainty and ecological justice.

Keywords:

synergy PPNS Polri pangolin scales conservation law enforcement

References

Adhiasto, D. N., Exploitasia, I., Fahlapie, P., Johnsen, P., Andriansyah, M. I., Hafizoh, N., Setyorini, Y. D., Mardiah, S., Mardhiah, U., & Linkie, M. (2023). A criminal justice response to address the illegal trade of wildlife in Indonesia. Conservation Letters, 16(3), Article e12937. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12937

Anagnostou, M., & Doberstein, B. (2022). Illegal wildlife trade and other organised crime: A scoping review. Ambio, 51(7), 1615–1631. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01675-y

Andersson, A. A., Tilley, H. B., Lau, W., Dudgeon, D., Bonebrake, T. C., & Dingle, C. (2021). CITES and beyond: Illuminating 20 years of global, legal wildlife trade. Global Ecology and Conservation, 26, Article e01455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01455

Eryan, A. (2024). Review on illegal wildlife trade provisions in Indonesia: Cost-benefit analysis and law enforcement. Indonesian Journal of International Law, 21(5), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.17304/ijil.vol21.5.1877

Manik, J. D. N. (2018). Koordinasi penyidik Polri dengan penyidik pegawai negeri sipil dalam penyidikan tindak pidana di bidang pengelolaan sumber daya alam. Jurnal Hukum PRIORIS, 6(3), 278–303. https://doi.org/10.25105/prio.v6i3.3181

Nijman, V., Abdullah, A., Adinda, E., Ardiansyah, A., Campera, M., Chavez, J., Dewi, T., Hedger, K., Imron, M. A., Shepherd, C. R., Sukmadewi, D. K. T., Wirdateti, W., & Nekaris, K. A. I. (2024). Indonesia's sustainable development goals in relation to curbing and monitoring the illegal wildlife trade. Sustainable Development, 32(5), 5393–5403. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2975

Novriyanti, N., Masy'ud, B., Soekmadi, R., & Buchori, D. (2026). Three decades of Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) conservation research: Mapping Indonesia's role in the global engagement trends. Journal of Multidisciplinary Applied Natural Science, 6(2), 854–871. https://doi.org/10.47352/jmans.2774-3047.361

Nurbandi, W. (2025). Understanding the complexity of wildlife trade in biodiversity conservation. Nature Reviews Biodiversity, 1, Article 10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44358-025-00090-5

Padang, K., Nuruliawati, Afifah, Z., Andriansyah, M. I., Putri, A. A. D., Hafizoh, N., Hermawati, I., Muktamarianti, A. I., Yulianti, S., Handayani, N. W., & Mardiah, S. (2025). Online illegal wildlife trade in Indonesia: Strengthening the regulatory framework and law enforcement. Oryx, 59(2), 210–219. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605323001667

Prigge, T.-L., Andersson, A. A., Hatten, C. E. R., Leung, E. Y. M., Baker, D. M., Bonebrake, T. C., & Dingle, C. (2025). Wildlife trade investigations benefit from multivariate stable isotope analyses. Biological Reviews, 100(3), 1083–1104. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13175

Smart, U., Cihlar, J. C., & Budowle, B. (2021). International wildlife trafficking: A perspective on the challenges and potential forensic genetics solutions. Forensic Science International: Genetics, 54, Article 102551. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsigen.2021.102551

't Sas-Rolfes, M., Challender, D. W. S., Hinsley, A., Veríssimo, D., & Milner-Gulland, E. J. (2019). Illegal wildlife trade: Scale, processes, and governance. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 44, 201–228. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-101718-033253

van Uhm, D. P. (2024). Green criminology and biodiversity loss: Crimes and harms against flora and fauna. In H. N. Pontell (Ed.), Oxford research encyclopedia of criminology and criminal justice. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264079.013.763

van Uhm, D. P., & Moreto, W. D. (2018). Corruption within the illegal wildlife trade: A symbiotic and antithetical enterprise. British Journal of Criminology, 58(4), 864–885. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azx032

van Uhm, D. P., & Nijman, R. C. C. (2022). The convergence of environmental crime with other serious crimes: Subtypes within the environmental crime continuum. European Journal of Criminology, 19(4), 542–561. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477370820904585

van Uhm, D., South, N., & Wyatt, T. (2021). Connections between trades and trafficking in wildlife and drugs. Trends in Organized Crime, 24(4), 425–446. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12117-021-09416-z

Wyatt, T., Johnson, K., Hunter, L., George, R., & Gunter, R. (2018). Corruption and wildlife trafficking: Three case studies involving Asia. Asian Journal of Criminology, 13(1), 35–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-017-9255-8

Wyatt, T., van Uhm, D., & Nurse, A. (2020). Differentiating criminal networks in the illegal wildlife trade: Organized, corporate and disorganized crime. Trends in Organized Crime, 23(4), 350–366. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12117-020-09385-9

Zhang, F., Yu, Y., Wu, S., Mahmood, A., Yu, J., & Min, Y. (2020). Reducing pangolin demand by understanding motivations for human consumption in Guangdong, China. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 8, Article 574161. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.574161

Author Biographies

Susi Tutri, Universitas Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya

Author Origin : Indonesia

Amalia Syauket, Universitas Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya

Author Origin : Indonesia

Lusia Sulastri, Universitas Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya

Author Origin : Indonesia

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

How to Cite

Synergy Between Civil Service Investigators at the Natural Resources Conservation Agency and Indonesian National Police Investigators in Law Enforcement Against Pangolin Scale Trafficking. (2026). Asian Journal of Social and Humanities, 4(11), 4794-4813. https://doi.org/10.59888/ajosh.v4i11.770

Similar Articles

21-30 of 153

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.