The presence of the Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation (KEHATI) since 12 January 1994 was intended to gather and manage resources which were then distributed in the form of grants, facilitation, consultation and various other facilities to support various biodiversity conservation programs in Indonesia and their use in a fair and sustainable manner.

The existence of KEHATI Foundation is inseparable from the form of the implementation of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and the Tokyo Declaration in 1993 where the leaders of three countries namely the United States, Japan and Indonesia agreed to work together to help sustainably biodiversity conservation programs in Indonesia. Emil Salim, who in 1993 had finished serving as the State Minister for Population and the Environment, was asked by the Government of Indonesia to form a non-governmental organization to accommodate and implement biodiversity programs with the assistance of grants from the United States Government. With the help of colleagues from non-governmental organizations, such as Koesnadi Hardjasoemantri, Ismid Hadad, Erna Witoelar, M.S. Kismadi, and Nono Anwar Makarim, a charter, organization and work program for the Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation was prepared, abbreviated as KEHATI.

This grant, obtained from the United States, is in the form of an endowment fund. This endowment is rotated in the capital market in the form of stocks and bonds. As a result of this fund turnover, a fee is used to finance the grant assistance program implemented by KEHATI partners. KEHATI assistance can take the form of grants, experts, consultations and various forms of facilitation for the activities of NGOs, CBOs, research institutions, education and training as well as various civil society organizations and components that have programs and activities in line with the KEHATI program, conservation and utilization of biodiversity in a manner just and sustainable.

KEHATI acts as a catalyst to find innovative ways to conserve, manage and utilize Indonesia’s biodiversity in a sustainable way. Various forms of cooperation are established with institutions that can support KEHATI’s vision and mission, such as central and local governments, business communities, universities, NGOs / CBOs, professional associations, and mass media. The support of various parties mentioned above is needed to save Indonesia’s biodiversity from destruction, so that the benefits of biodiversity conservation can be felt until future generations.