Malaysia: Minimising human-elephant contact, conflict

Roy Goh New Straits Times 7 Jul 14;

KALABAKAN: MORE cases of human-elephant conflicts can be expected with the opening of more land or forest conversions for agriculture.

This was recently discussed in a workshop where ideas and proposals were tabled to find the best solution to the crisis.

Held at the Luasong Forestry Centre in Kalabakan, the full day workshop involved government authorities, non-governmental organisations and oil palm plantation executives.

The workshop jointly organised by the Sabah Wildlife department and World Widlife Fund-Malaysia with focus on the continued survival of the Bornean pygmy elephants in Sabah.

Last year 14 elephants died after being poisoned near the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve and it points to the issue given the proximity of oil palm plantations outside the area in the district of Tawau.

That got global attention on human-elephant conflict that has existed for generations in Sabah.

Cases of elephants venturing into villages to look for food have also made heads turned of late indicating how desperate the species are to survive.

Nurzhafarina Othman, a PhD student who has been studying elephant ecology and movement in Kinabatangan said the opening of forests for oil palm cultivation are forcing elephants out of their habitat.

She opined the elephant population has been stable for about 10 years now. "The size of habitat available to the elephants (forest and grassland) however has declined regularly during this period."

There are also the construction of electric fences, drains and destruction of pathways, some of which are reduced to become "bottle necks" that are forcing herds of elephants out of their habitat, Nurzhafarina said.

In February this year a herd of about 30 elephants damaged a sizeable amount of crops at a village in Kampung Bauto in Telupid. Wildlife rescue rangers successfully got the elephants out by translocating a matriarch and an aggressive female back to where the herd came from.

The rest followed with a team of rangers monitoring the herd to ensure the elephants moved the right direction.

Similar in Kinabatangan the last two months saw a herd of nine elephants venturing in and out Kampung Sukau, a popular tourist attraction for its river safari cruises.

All nine has been translocated to the nearby Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary by the State wildlife department.

The conversion of forests has created fragmented or patches of habitats that are not enough to contain large elephant herds. This forced the species out of their habitats and at many instances venture to plantations or even villages.

This was why forest corridors at plantations or even villages were suggested by experts as it allows the elephants to move from one to another instead of venturing into their oil palm plots.

During the workshop Bernard Tai, WWF-Malaysia Head of Conservation for Sabah said there are ways to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, elephants in particular as it is a major issue in the state.

“The increasing amount of complaints lodged by plantation companies regarding elephant intrusion emphasises the need for preventive measures."

Tai acknowledged the challenge faced by plantations to reduce crop losses but also pointed out uncoordinated fencing and fragmentation of forests have increased conflicts.

"With a medium for all parties affected by human elephant conflict to interact and discuss, issues were clearly laid out and understood, making it an easier platform for all to decide on a solution,” Tai said.

“By spreading best management practices, we hope that people realise this is a serious issue but there are solutions that benefit all parties involved. We hope to see a reduction of these conflicts and strive for a harmonious relationship between human and nature,” he added.

The workshop helped promote a greater understanding of the causes of conflict, and provided an opportunity for plantations to share success stories on managing conflict.

The participants also discussed and proposed options, from various points of view, for long term and immediate management of human-elephant conflicts in Sabah.

Putting up electric fences, removing bottlenecks and barriers for elephant movements, restoring riparian corridors and proper land use planning to locate fences and corridors are some of the effective options discussed.

Now what’s left is to see if the plantations take up the ideas and suggestions - for the sake of the elephants.