George Ellis: Human-elephant conflict, meeting Rudi Putra & conserving the Leuser ecosystem

18th- 19th June- Back to Jaanga and off to Langsa

The 18th was mainly spent travelling on a fairly bumpy coach drive, we stopped for lunch at an outdoor restaurant but the midday heat was too much for many of us so we decided not to stay too long, and get back onto the (sort of) air conditioned coach. We checked back in where we started (Jangga House) and headed off for dinner in one of the more up-market areas in Medan. The next morning we were up bright and early once again for a 10 hour journey to Langsa. En route however we paid a visit to an elephant sanctuary and Conservation Response Unit (CRU) in Serba Jadi, Aceh Timur to serve as an introduction to the issues surrounding human-elephant conflicts and elephant conservation. We were greeted by Tezar Pahlevie (regional manager of the NGO – HAkA) and the rest of the team and during a short introduction we learned that the elephants in the sanctuary were used to help with work and as a last resort to ward off wild elephants in an attempt to buffer the effects of human-elephant conflict.

The elephants are trained and guided by ‘mahouts’ (elephant masters) to aid in the fight against poaching and illegal logging by patrolling the surrounding areas of the Gunung Leuser ecosystem. A further benefit of keeping the elephants in the sanctuary was that they were much less likely to be poached or killed by frustrated palm oil plantation owners for raiding their crops. After the short talk we met the elephants themselves – four fully grown Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus) each mounted by their mahout.

We headed down to the river to wash the elephants, after being told to keep our distance from one of them who wasn’t entirely tamed yet. Washing the elephants provided a very unique moment in our trip, and a once in a lifetime experience for some maybe. We left Serba Jadi and continued the journey to Langsa where we’d spend the night in another hotel.

20th June – Conservation of the Leuser and conflict in Langsa

We left our hotel early, and travelled by jeep to the office of award winning conservation manager Rudi Putra. Once there, we received a presentation led by himself and Tezar Pahlevie, based around the Leuser ecosystem and the work they promote and carry out to aid in its protection and restoration. The presentation was very informative and really emphasised the levels of biodiversity and the value of the species living in the Leuser ecosystem. We learned that the central Leuser has the highest global population of the Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), that 90% of all Sumatran orangutans thrive in the Leuser ecosystem and that the ecosystem is also the home of many Sumatran elephants. Focusing on elephants, but with relevance to all species, the presentation also highlighted the problems faced by these critically endangered species, and explained the importance of protecting them and their habitat.

Some of the statistics stated that approximately 20 elephants per year are killed in the East Leuser alone; mainly by poisoning, snares or poaching. Furthermore, the encroachment of palm oil and illegal logging were highlighted as driving factors in the overlying problem of deforestation and human-wildlife conflicts. Other than the wildlife-related concerns, the protection of the Leuser ecosystem was said to be important for the people living in and around it, as a source of support for their livelihoods. The global influence of the Leuser was also put forward to us; in providing huge carbon storage, promoting climate management, and finally, as a source of knowledge about our natural world.

After the presentation we headed off to a nearby plantation, here we experienced the problem from the natives perspective, rather than that of conservation. Along with some local journalists, we travelled by jeep through the plantations and immediately noticed signs of the elephants' destructive activity – a small insight into what we were about to learn.

On arrival, while we waited around for the manager to show, we learnt a little about the background of the plantation. Eventually, the manager turned up and we carried out a small interview which we later learned would be broadcast on local Indonesian television.

The manager outlined most of the problems he, and the other 137 mainly local people, who worked on the plantations faced regarding elephant activity. It was stated that roughly ten trees were destroyed per day by elephants, and he believed that one of the problems was that they were too accustomed to humans. As a result, the elephants were not scared to raid the easily accessible crops, despite the use of fireworks and other futile tactics in an attempt to try and scare them away. In support of what we’d learned earlier in the day from Rudi and Tezar; the plantation manager also told us that the plantation was forest around 18 years ago, and believed that deforestation was making the problem worse.

Later on in the day, we headed up to see some more first-hand damage that the elephants had done – a nearby house which had been heavily damaged to the extent that it had to be vacated. The manager pointed us towards a square patch of gravel and explained to us that it was the remnants of a house, which people had also lived in and which had to be demolished as a result of extensive elephant damage. Again, relating to issues learned earlier in the day, the manager told us that working on the plantation is a big commitment as many employees face financial instability by not being paid monthly. Subsequently, many potential or former employees turn to illegal logging, as it may provide them a more immediate income.