Effectiveness of Criminal Law Enforcement Against Protected Wildlife Trafficking via Social Media Platforms in Indonesia

The trade in protected wildlife has shifted from physical markets to digital ecosystems, particularly social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of criminal law enforcement against social media-based wildlife crime in Indonesia and to identify the main obstacles faced by law enforcement agencies. This study employs a normative legal research method with statutory and conceptual approaches. The results indicate that criminal law enforcement is currently not optimal due to the limited scope of Law No. 5 of 1990 on Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Ecosystems (KSDAE), evidentiary complexities under Law No. 1 of 2024 on Electronic Information and Transactions (UU ITE), and social media characteristics providing anonymity and encryption. Optimizing law enforcement requires regulatory reform, strengthening cyber crime investigation capacity, and inter-sectoral collaboration with digital platform providers.