Human conflict with the sumatran elephant, a protected animal and the icon of Sumatra, continues to date. Creating migration corridors for the mammal is one solution to minimize the risk of human-elephant conflict.
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PALEMBANG, KOMPAS — Human conflict with the sumatran elephant, a protected animal and the icon of Sumatra, continues to date. Creating migration corridors for the mammal is one solution to minimize the risk of human-elephant conflict.
The animal’s habitat has changed over the last few years, including the elephant’s migratory routes. Primary forests have been converted into large plantations or private property.
Migration corridors for the elephants have been established in the regencies of Banyuasin and Musi Banyuasin in South Sumatra through Kelola Sendang (Sembilang-Dangku Landscape Management Partnership). "However, to implement this concept across South Sumatra requires the participation of all parties," South Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) head Genman Suhefti Hasibuan said on Friday (14/6/2019) in Palembang.
Genman said that 178 elephants currently lived in South Sumatra, including the herds that live in Banyuasin, Ogan Komering Ilir, South Ogan Komering Ulu, Musi Banyuasin and Lahat. Of these, 40 elephants were tame.
In addition to commitment from all parties to provide an ecosystem area and migration corridors for the elephants, special safeguards were also needed to prevent the corridors from being turned into plantations. "At present, many elephants in South Sumatra are in distress and they do not know where to go. Their roaming area has been penetrated," said Hutan Kita Institute researcher Benny Hidayat.
According to Genman, human-elephant conflicts (HEC) still continued to occur. This year alone had seen 10 HEC, mostly in the Gunung Raya area of South Ogan Komering Ulu regency. The local residents cultivate cassava, corn and bananas, all of which are food for elephants.
In Riau, cases of HEC still occur in Peranap district, Indragiri Hulu regency, and in Rumbai, Pekanbaru. Six elephants have migrated to Peranap from Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN). The BKSDA has been driving the herd back to their habitat since last Thursday, assisted by two tame bulls named Rahman and Indro.
While the herd in Pekanbaru comes from the area and have migrated due to the loss of their natural habitat to forest conversion or human encroachment, the elephant herds in Minas hail from three regions: Siak regency, Pekanbaru city and Kampar regency.
The only primary forest left in Minas is the Sultan Syarif Kasim II Forest Park (Tahura), on the Pekanbaru-Siak border. The forest park that was originally 6,000 hectares has today shrunk to an estimated 1,500 ha due to human encroachment.
Minas elephants were still spotted yesterday in the subdistricts of Agrowisata and Maharani in Rumbai district, 20 kilometers from downtown Pekanbaru. The elephants were seen foraging on the young fronds of palm trees and crops in community farms.
"Until last night, we were still guarding the pilot farm so it would not be attacked by elephants," said Awaldi Hasibuan, chairman of the Pekanbaru City Farmers and Fishermen Group. A herd of elephants wandered onto the pilot farm for foraging on 4 June 2019.
To minimize human-elephant conflict, an idea has emerged to place GPS collars on wild elephants. "With these [collars], we can monitor the location and movement of the elephants on their migratory routes and provide the information to residents so they can anticipate the elephants’ arrival and prevent conflict. It is expensive, but for now it is an option to save the elephants," said Suharyono, the head of the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BBKSDA).
Riau’s human-elephant conflict is a complex problem that required the involvement of the local administration and companies operating in the area to resolve.
Sumatran tiger
In addition to the sumatran elephant, the natural habitat and territory of Sumatran tigers are also shrinking. Conflict with the local people recently occurred in the buffer zone of the Barumun Wildlife Reserve in Padang Lawas regency and Mount Leuser National Park in Langkat.
Darmawan, the head of the North Sumatra BBKSDA’s Barumun Conservation Forest Management Unit, said the unit had met with the Padang Lawas regency administration to resolve the conflict.
Local resident Abu Sali Hasibuan, 61, was killed by a tiger in mid-May while he was tapping rubber in his garden in Siraisan village, Ulu Barumun district. A few days later, another villager, Faisal Hendri Hasibuan, 48, suffered serious injuries when he was attacked by a tiger in front of his house in Pagaran village of Bira Jae, Sosopan district, Padang Lawas.
Darmawan said the North Sumatra BBKSDA and the Padang Lawas administration were committed to protecting the Barumun Wildlife Reserve. Originally spanning 40,330 ha, the wildlife reserve has lost 2,900 ha that were cleared for farming.