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High Occurrence of Conflict with Animals in Aceh
Banda Aceh - High intensity of conflict with animals, particularly between elephant and human, and the drastic decrease of animal population, must be reduced. It is estimated that the number of elephants has been continuously going down in the last 20 years due to land conversion and conflict with humans.
Operation Manager of the Leuser Ecosystem Management Authority (BPKEL), Badrul Irfan, in Banda Aceh on Sunday (21/11) said that to reduce the acceleration of endangered animal population reduction, the authority with several other institutions are developing a protocol for animal conflict management in Aceh.
“Currently only the elephant management protocol is finished and has been handed over to the provincial government. Management protocols for other animals are still under development,” he said.
Badrul explained that other than functioning as a protocol to manage conflicts between animal and human, it is also to reduce and prevent potential loss to both parties. Saving humans and elephants as part of the ecosystem is important. “It is very unfortunate that elephants are seen as pests disturbing the lives of human,” he said.
Moreover, he said, substances regulated in the protocol are budget issues and prevention of animal-human conflict. Regarding budget, said Badrul, it is up to each district and municipal government since it is related to the financial capabilities of the regions.
Preventive measures mentioned within the protocol, said Badrul, are not meant to just capture wild elephants in an area and relocate them, but the prevention intended is to drive away or even change the crop planted in people’s fields which could potentially cause conflict.
Establishment and expansion of oil palm plantations is believed to be a triggering factor for animal conflict. Besides being known to be one of the elephant’s favorite plants, said Badrul, the expansion of oil palm plantations into the homerange of wild elephants leads to open conflict between elephants and human.
Data from the BPKEL shows that elephant-human conflict in Aceh and Riau is the highest in Sumatra. As much as 15 of 23 districts/municipalities in Aceh are prone to conflict with elephants.
Rudi H Putra, staff of the conservation division of BPKEL estimates there are only 700 elephants left in Aceh. In the 1990s there were still around 3000 elephants.
“Before, in the 1980s, all elephants in Aceh was one large population, with their homerange being almost all of Aceh,” he said. (MHD)
Source : Kompas