Diversity 14 00420 With Cover

2.4 3.
Review
Can Humans and Elephants

Coexist? A Review of the Conflict
on Sumatra Island, Indonesia
Wanda Kuswanda, Raden Garsetiasih, Hendra Gunawan, Rospita Odorlina Pilianna Situmorang,
Freddy Jontara Hutapea, Rozza Tri Kwatrina , Endang Karlina, Tri Atmoko, Ma’rifatin Zahrah,
Mariana Takandjandji et al.
Special Issue
Elephants: Moving from Conflict to Coexistence with People
Edited by
Dr. Michelle Henley
https://doi.org/10.3390/d14060420
diversity
Review
Can Humans and Elephants Coexist? A Review of the Conflict
on Sumatra Island, Indonesia
Wanda Kuswanda 1, * , Raden Garsetiasih 1, *, Hendra Gunawan 1 , Rospita Odorlina Pilianna Situmorang 2, *,
Freddy Jontara Hutapea 1,3 , Rozza Tri Kwatrina 1 , Endang Karlina 1 , Tri Atmoko 1 , Ma’rifatin Zahrah 4 ,
Mariana Takandjandji 1 and Donny Gunaryadi 5
1 Research Organization for Life Sciences and Environment, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN),
Jakarta 10340, Indonesia; [email protected] (H.G.); [email protected] (F.J.H.);
[email protected] (R.T.K.); [email protected] (E.K.); [email protected] (T.A.);
[email protected] (M.T.)
2 Research Organization for Social Sciences and Humanities, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN),
Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
3 Faculty of Science, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne,
Creswick, VIC 3363, Australia
4 Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan 20155, Indonesia; [email protected]
5 Indonesia Elephant Conservation Forum, Bogor 16153, Indonesia; [email protected]
* Correspondence: [email protected] (W.K.); [email protected] (R.G.); [email protected] (R.O.P.S.);
Tel.: +62-821-6598-6846 (W.K.); +62-816-1819-630 (R.G.); +62-812-6929-4395 (R.O.P.S.)
Abstract: The high rate of deforestation and fragmentation of elephant habitat on Sumatra Island
has triggered human-elephant conflict (HEC) in Sumatra Island, Indonesia. This conflict brings
negative impacts on humans and elephants. Despite numerous efforts having been made to solve this
Citation: Kuswanda, W.; Garsetiasih,
problem, the HEC continues to occur in the remaining elephant enclave every year. The harmonious
R.; Gunawan, H.; Situmorang, R.O.P.; coexistence between humans and elephants could be improved through HEC mitigation programs.
Hutapea, F.J.; Kwatrina, R.T.; Karlina, The aim of this paper was to review information on HEC in Sumatra Island, investigate the causes
E.; Atmoko, T.; Zahrah, M.; and implications of HEC, review existing HEC mitigation methods, and formulate strategies to
Takandjandji, M.; et al. Can Humans improve the harmonious coexistence between humans and elephants. The best strategies to create
and Elephants Coexist? A Review of successful human and elephant coexistence are strengthening the institutions and policies, restoring
the Conflict on Sumatra Island, the habitat, developing wildlife corridors, establishing Essential Ecosystem Areas (EEA), community
Indonesia. Diversity 2022, 14, 420. empowerment through ecotourism, providing legal access to forests through Social Forestry (SF),
https://doi.org/10.3390/d14060420
and providing compensation schemes for conflict victims.
Academic Editors: Michael Wink and
Michelle Henley Keywords: coexistence; community; corridor; farmer; habitat; Sumatran elephant
Received: 31 March 2022

Accepted: 19 May 2022
Published: 25 May 2022
1. Introduction
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral
Elephants are the only surviving representatives of Proboscidea that for the first time
with regard to jurisdictional claims in
appeared in Africa about 55 million years ago [1,2]. Elephants are classified into the African
published maps and institutional affil-
elephant (Loxodonta africana africana and Loxodonta africana cyclotis) and the Asian elephant
iations.
(Elephas maximus) [3,4]. The Asian elephant has four sub-species: Elephas maximus indicus
(Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, China, Bhutan, India, and
Bangladesh), Elephas maximus maximus (Sri Lanka), Elephas maximus sumatranus (Sumatra,
Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Indonesia), and Elephas maximus borneensis (Kalimantan, Indonesia) [5–7]. The remaining
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. population of Asian elephants across 13 countries is less than 50,000 individuals [8]. The
This article is an open access article population reduction has invoked the conservation status of Asian elephants including
distributed under the terms and the Sumatran elephant to be critically endangered in 2011 as half of their population was
conditions of the Creative Commons lost in one generation [9,10]. Sumatran elephants are distributed in Aceh, North Sumatra,
Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// Riau, Jambi, Bengkulu, South Sumatra, and Lampung provinces in Sumatra Island, and the
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ Sumatran elephant is one of the flagship endemic species to those provinces.
4.0/).
Diversity 2022, 14, 420. https://doi.org/10.3390/d14060420 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity

Diversity 2022, 14, 420 2 of 21
The population of Sumatran elephants started to decrease when the government of

Indonesia implemented a transmigration program to reduce the Java population to Sumatra
from the 1930s to the 1980s [11–14]. This program had caused a huge forest conversion
into a settlement, agricultural, and plantation areas [14]. To improve the economy of the
country, in 1970, the Indonesian government started to release forest utilization permits
(concession areas) on natural forests through the development of industrial forests and
plantations (mostly oil palm) that caused forest loss, degradation, and fragmentation [15,16].
Furthermore, the decentralization policy after the reformation era (in 1999) encouraged the
regional expansion in Indonesia (from 27 provinces to 34 provinces and 514 districts) [17].
The regional expansion converted forest areas into settlements, infrastructures, urban areas,
industrial areas, public facilities, agricultural and plantations, ports, airports, irrigation, and
electricity networks to improve the economic development and public services for the new
regions. Forest loss and habitat destruction have forced elephants to get closer to people
and have caused competition for space and other resources that triggers human-elephant
conflict (HEC) [18,19]. HECs that occur in most of the provinces on Sumatra Island have
caused negative impacts on humans and elephants [19–22].
To reduce conflicts, the government of Indonesia has implemented various HEC
mitigation programs, such as the translocation of wild elephants from the conflict areas,
domestication of elephants, and habitat improvement (e.g., planting and enriching elephant
feeds on forests) [23]. However, these programs are considered not to be optimal because
the available policies do not strongly support the conservation of species, and there are
resources and budget constraints and low participation of parties in the HEC mitigation
program [13,24]. Therefore, better and more pragmatic strategies are required in mitigating
HEC [22,25]. A proposed concept to reduce HEC is to create a harmonious coexistence
between humans and elephants. To develop a harmonious coexistence, it is important
to consider elephant ecology, the basic needs of and the interactions between humans
and elephants, and existing regulations [26–28]. In this study, we reviewed and collected
information on elephant bio-ecology, the main driver of HEC, and the impact of HEC on
both humans and elephants. We then formulated several strategies and recommendations
for creating a harmonious coexistence between humans and elephants on Sumatra Island
(Figure 1).
Figure 1. Conceptual framework of the study.
2. Sumatran Elephant Life History and Population Distributions

2.1. Distribution of Sumatran Elephants
2.1.1. Wild Elephants
Sumatran elephant habitat ranges from lowland forests to higher elevations. Elephants
are generally observed at an altitude range of 300–500 m [29]. Elephants use habitats up
Diversity 2022, 14, 420 3 of 21
to an altitude of 1600 m, in valleys and foothills with high food resources, and near
watersheds [20,30,31]. Previous studies also reported that elephants were once observed
at 2329 m above sea level in Mount Ulu Masen, which connects elephant habitats in Aceh
Jaya and Pidie, in Aceh Province [32]. In general, the distribution of elephants is highly
influenced by topography as elephants avoid areas with slopes above 60% [5,11].
More than 60% of elephants are currently distributed outside conservation areas
(natural habitats). Sumatran elephant habitat consists of swamp forests, peat forests,
primary and secondary forests, shrubs, and plantations [5,11,33,34]. They are mostly
distributed in open areas near water sources with abundant food supplies [35,36]. Figure 2
is the distribution of elephant habitats on Sumatra Island. The elephant’s habitats in
Sumatra Island include the Leuser Ecosystem or Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP)
(in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra), Batang Toru Watershed (North Sumatra,
Riau, Jambi, and West Sumatra), Kerinci Seblat National Park (KSNP) (in Bengkulu, South
Sumatra and Lampung), and Tesso Nilo National Park (TNNP) in Riau [13,15,16,37–39].
Figure 2. Source: Ministry of Environment and Forestry [40]. The distribution of Sumatran elephants
on Sumatra Island.
The elephant population on Sumatra Island has declined since 1931 [12,13]. In the
1980s, the total population of elephants on Sumatra Island was about 2800 to 5000 individu-
als, distributed in 44 spots from northern Aceh to southern Lampung (Table 1). In 2017, it
Diversity 2022, 14, 420 4 of 21
had declined to 1694 to 2038 individuals, almost half of the population. The decrease in the
elephant population was mainly caused by forest conversion, hunting, disease, environ-
mental pollution, and HEC [4,41–43]. This condition has encouraged the Government of
Indonesia to set the Sumatran elephant as a top priority for species conservation.
Table 1. Estimation of elephant populations on Sumatra Island.
No Habitat Year of Assessment Population Size References

Santiapillai and Jackson [12]; Blouch and
1 Sumatra Island 1980 2800–4800
Haryanto [44]; Blouch and Simbolon [45]
Directorate General of KSDAE [13]; Azmi
2 Sumatra Island 2014 1724 and Gunaryadi [46]; World Wildlife Fund
(WWF) Indonesia [47]
3 Sumatra Island 2017 1694–2038 Hanafiah [48]
4 Riau Province 1985 1067–1647 Blouch and Simbolon [45]
5 Bengkalis, Riau Province 2005 35–50 Suhandri et al. [49]
6 Riau Province 2007 210 Sitompul et al. [33]
7 Riau Province 2009 34 Santiapillai and Jackson [12]
8 Riau Province 2016 244–338 Desai and Samsuardi [50]
9 Lampung-Bengkulu 2000 9 Hedges et al. [11]
10 Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park 2005 498 Hedges et al. [11]
11 Way Kambas National Park (WKNP) 2005 180 Hedges et al. [11]
12 Tebo Regency, Jambi 2007 117 Sitompul et al. [33]
13 Aceh 2016 500–530 Mustafa et al. [51]
2.1.2. Captive Elephants

The ex-situ elephant conservation program for captive Sumatran elephants was es-
tablished in 1985. This program was proposed as one of the main solutions to mitigate
HEC. Numerous Elephant Training Centers (ETCs) were established in Sumatra Island,
such as Way Kambas National Park (WKNP) in Lampung Province; Minas ETC (South
Sumatra Province), Seblat ETC (Bengkulu Province), and Tangkahan ETC (North Sumatra
Province) [20]. ETCs were built for genetic preservation, breeding, education and tourism,
and training for captured elephants [52]. Elephants are now also distributed in several
zoos, such as Bali Zoo, Bandung Zoo, Indonesia Safari Park (in Cisarua and Prigen), and
Bali Elephant Safari Park. The total number of elephants in captive ETCs is 543 (Table 2).
The main problem of ex-situ conservation programs is population structure, limited gene
flow, and inbreeding [36].
Table 2. Distribution of captive elephants in different institutions.
Elephant Population
Institutions
Male Female Total
ETC/Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) 99 116 215
Zoos 17 29 46
Recreational parks, safari parks, nature recreation parks 59 171 230
Companies 25 27 52
Abroad 2 4 6
Total 202 347 543
Source: Directorate General of Natural Resources Conservation and Ecosystem (NRCE) originally named Direc-
torate General of Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam dan Ekosistemnya (KSDAE) [13].
2.2. Deforestation and Habitat Loss of Sumatran Elephants

Deforestation is one of the main challenges in preserving the elephant’s natural habitat
in Indonesia. Deforestation is defined as a one-time permanent conversion of natural
forest cover into other land cover categories [53,54]. The forest conversion in Indonesia is
caused by direct or indirect factors i.e., transmigration programs, forest concession rights
in 1970–1980, and expansion of oil palm plantations [15,16,55]. For many decades, the
Diversity 2022, 14, 420 5 of 21
nationwide trend of deforestation has been declining every year (Figure 3). For Sumatra,
the data in the last two years also followed the same trends (Figure 4). However, the
massive forest clearing in the 1990’s to 2000’s caused huge forest loss in Indonesia, including
in Sumatra.
The extent of deforestation (million hectare) 3.51
2.83
1.87
1.37
1.17
1.08 1.09
0.83 0.82
0.78 0.76 0.73
0.68 0.63
0.61 0.61
0.50 0.45 0.48 0.46
0.41 0.35 0.39 0.40 0.43 0.44
0.37
0.30 0.33 0.29 0.28 0.30
0.22 0.26 0.34 0.20 0.22
0.12 0.11 0.18
0.09
1990–1996 1996–2000 2000–2003 2003–2006 2006–2009 2009–2011 2011–2012 2012–2013 2013–2014 2014–2015 2015–2016 2016–2017 2017–2018 2018–2019
Non Forest Area Forest Area Indonesia
Figure 3. Indonesian deforestation trends in 1990–2019 [53].
Figure 4. Nett deforestation in Sumatra in 2019–2020 [54]. Nett deforestation is the change/reduction
of the land cover area by forested category in a certain period obtained from the calculation of gross
deforestation area minus the area of reforestation. Gross deforestation ‘without taking into account
the reforestation that occurs’. Minus (−) means: that reforestation has a bigger value.
The development of infrastructure to improve the access to Sumatra Island also

contributes to forest loss and forest disturbances. For instance, the development of 2700 km
trans-Sumatra highway across Sumatra by the central government started in 2019 not
only increases habitat fragmentation on the island, but also the access to remote areas
for poaching and illegal logging activities that may bring negative effects to forests and
wildlife [15,16,37,56]. In Riau, the establishment of 2400 km of new roads in Riau Province
is mostly adjacent (about 100–1000 m) to Tesso Nilo National Park (TNNP). This enables
easier access to the forest [57].
The impact of deforestation and habitat fragmentation is generally higher for elephants
than for other wildlife because elephants require a wide home range and a huge amount of
food [12,35,58]. The fragmentation of elephant habitat into smaller blocks forces elephants
to have closer contact with people and frequently generate HEC [59–61]. In the long term,
Diversity 2022, 14, 420 6 of 21
habitat fragmentation will lead to a genetic decline due to inbreeding depression that
threatens the species’ sustainability [61,62].
2.3. Conflict Evidences and Driving Factors of HEC across Sumatra Island
Several scholars reported that the most common form of HEC is crop-raiding [63,64].
HEC becomes more intense when communities plant crops preferred by elephants, such
as rubber trees, cacao trees, coconut trees, banana, corn, ground beans, cassava, and
rice [65–67]. The economic losses caused by HEC in Sumatra Island is varied, depending
on the scale of the damage, location, and the types of crops and property damaged by
elephants. The economic loss caused by HEC on oil palm plantations and forest plantations
in Riau was US$105 million/year [68]. While in Lampung, the direct economic losses due
to 2000–2002 crop-raiding incidents in WKNP were US$12,000 (±US$6000/year) [11].
HEC also puts negative effects on both humans and elephants. The 2012–2017 HEC
events in Aceh killed 8 people and 11 were injured [69]. During this period, about
45 elephants died due to HEC [69]. In Lampung, the 2000–2002 HEC damaged 24 houses,
killed three people, injured three people, and killed two elephants [11,18]. In general,
crop-raiding incidents have altered people’s perceptions of Sumatran elephants. Most
people around elephant habitats have considered elephants as pests, aggressive and dan-
gerous wildlife [70]. For instance, most people around Way Kambas National Park have
no willingness to coexist with elephants [27]. Negative perception towards elephants is
mainly driven by community economic conditions where most of the communities living
around the elephant habitat live in poverty [70]. The summary of HEC in each province in
Sumatra is provided in Table 3.
Table 3. HEC across Sumatra Island.
Province/Region Current Distributions of Elephants Frequency of HEC Drivers

262 events (2012–2017); Habitat conversion into mining
Aceh 27 pockets in 13 regencies [71].
102 events (2020) [69,72] and agriculture [29]
Habitat conversion into
North Sumatra 1 pocket (Langkat Regency) [13] 34 (2010–early 2022) [73]
agriculture [65]
7 elephant populations, where
Deforestation and habitat
Riau TNNP acts as the most important 46 events (2018–2019) [75]
fragmentation [76]
population [16,74]
Bukit Tigapuluh Landscape, Habitat conversion into
covering Tebo Regency, Sarolangun community settlements,
Jambi 538 events (2017–2018) [78]
Regency, KSNP (Kerinci Regency), agricultural, industrial
and Bungo Regency [77] plantations, and mining [78,79]
Eight spots: Benakat Semangus
(259,801 ha), Meranti Sungai Kapas
(48,906 ha), Lalan (262,823 ha),
Jambul Nanti Patah (282,727 ha), Deforestation and habitat
South Sumatra 37 events (2013–2019) [81]
Mesuji (64,712 ha), Saka Gunung fragmentation [80]
Raya (75,883 ha), Suban Jeriji
(138,542 ha), and Sugihan Simpang
Heran (631,953 ha) [80]
17 events in oil palm
plantations adjacent to Seblat
Four groups: Air Teramang–Air
ECC (2007–2008); 62 events Deforestation and habitat
Bengkulu Dikit, Air Teramang–Air Berau, Air
in several villages and oil fragmentation [46].
Ipuh–Air Teramang, and Seblat [82]
palm plantations around
KSNP (2007–2012) [39,83]
717 events in BBSNP and
WKNP (2000–2002);
Bukit Barisan Selatan (BBSNP), and Deforestation and habitat
Lampung 437 events in WKNP (2015);
WKNP [11,23,46] fragmentation [18,64,84]
150 events annually in
WKNP (2016–2020) [11]
Diversity 2022, 14, 420 7 of 21
3. Overview of HEC Mitigation in Sumatra Island

3.1. Regulation and Policies Relating to Conflict Mitigation
Indonesian regulations related to forestry and wildlife conservation consist of:
(a) the Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Ecosystem Law No 5/1990 [85];
(b) Forestry Law No. 41/1999 [86]; (c) Government Regulation No. 7/1999 [87] concern-
ing the preservation of wild plants and animal diversity; (d) Government Regulation
No. 28/2011 [88] concerning management of sanctuary reserve and nature conservation
areas; and (e) Job Creation Law No. 11/2020 [89]. Special policies regarding the mitiga-
tion of human and wildlife conflicts are stated in the Forestry Minister Regulation No.
P.48/Menhut-II/2008 [90]. However, the legal force of ministerial-level regulation is not
strong enough to overcome the human and wildlife conflicts that require a cross-sectoral
collaboration [24].
The Indonesian government started releasing policies to mitigate the human and
wildlife conflicts in the early 2000s through the Ministry of Forestry. One issued policy is
the translocation of elephants from their original habitat into conservation centers, such
as ETC in Riau. In 2004, the Indonesian Government adopted the Elephant Flying Squad
program from India and developed it as a national program [91]. This program aims to
drive elephants away from the contact areas to the core zone by using tame elephants and
a routine patrol. The squad consists of rangers with noise and light-making devices and
trained elephants (usually four elephants) to drive the wild elephants back into the forest
whenever they are trying to enter villages [92].
Elephants receive legal protection in forest areas which are regulated under Forestry
Minister Regulation No. P.50/Menhut-II/2008. This regulation can determine the state for-
est areas for wildlife habitats by synchronizing the national forest map with the provincial
spatial planning map. The synchronization of the provincial and national spatial map is
regulated in Government Regulation No. 26/2008 [93] amended to No. 13/2017. Besides
that, the government also issued the technical guidelines of the Director-general of Natural
Resources Conservation and Ecosystem, original name Director-general of KSDAE, No.
P.8/2016 [94] relating designation of wildlife corridors as essential ecosystem areas (EEA).
The designation of EEA aims to develop and conserve the elephants’ corridors to connect
the fragmented habitats.
To reduce habitat loss, the government has issued President Regulation No. 9/2016 [95]
concerning the acceleration of the implementation of one map policy. One map policy
aims to synchronize all maps to overcome the overlapping of land use maps that often
causes conflicts in the field. This one map will be used as the basic map for all institutions,
including the development of industrial plantations, agriculture, and physical buildings
that commonly disturb the natural habitats of wildlife. In 2018, the Indonesian President
also instructed the moratorium on the new permit for industrial forest plantations and oil
palm plantations by releasing President’s Instruction No. 8/2018 [96]. This instruction aims
to evaluate the existing permit for forest plantations and oil palm plantation on natural
forests and peat forests and their impact on wildlife’s habitat and elephant corridors. As an
output, the government through the Ministry of Environmental and Forestry, has released
the indicative map of primary natural forest and peatland with business license termina-
tion, business approval, and land-use change business approval contained in Ministerial
Regulation No. SK.666/MENLHK-PKTL/IPSDH/PLA.1/2/2021 [97] on 15 February 2021.
To reduce forest land conversion caused by regional expansion since the decentral-
ization policy in 1999 [98–100], the central government released Government Regulation
No. 10/2010 [101] amended to be No. 60/2012 concerning the procedures for changing
forest status and functions. The autonomous regions that need to renew their regional
spatial planning should coordinate with the central government and synchronize the re-
gional planning with national planning. However, the need for economic development
was stronger than the environmental focus, resulting in 22 provinces that renewed their
regional spatial planning by 2015 causing forest conversion in many regions (provinces
and districts) including in Sumatra [102].
Diversity 2022, 14, 420 8 of 21
3.2. The Current HEC Mitigation in Sumatra Island

Since the 1980s, the Indonesian Government has addressed three programs to mitigate
HEC, i.e., population management (Tata Liman), elephant empowerment (Bina Liman), and
the utilization of trained elephants from the ETC (Guna Liman) [13]. The Tata Liman is a
program addressed to translocating elephants from fragmented forests to a more suitable
habitat [103]. The Bina Liman program comprises habitat improvement, fencing, community
education, and elephant training [104]. The Guna Liman utilizes domesticated elephants in
the forestry, agriculture, and tourism sectors [97]. Between 1986 and 1995, 520 elephants
were captured and translocated to six ETCs on Sumatra Island [105].
However, these programs are unsustainable because the demand for tame elephants for
utilization and conservation activities is limited [103]. Some of the captured elephants are
either too young or too old to be used for patrol programs. On the other hand, the number
of elephants captured from the conflict areas and trained in ETC increased significantly
which increased the operational cost of maintaining the tame elephants. As shown by
the Directorate General of KSDAE [13], from 2006 to 2007, the budget for ETC increased
significantly from Rp. 2.1 billion to 7.8 billion/ha. The government collaborated with 14
forestry companies in Sumatra to utilize the domesticated elephants in their operational
systems or pay an elephant conservation fee (Rp. 10 million/elephant/year), but this
strategy also did not work effectively due to the low commitment of the parties [103].
Realizing these programs were still not optimal to resolve HEC due to the high opera-
tional cost and low commitment of the companies, the government revised these programs
by developing new captive elephant management and avoiding elephant capturing from
the wild [13]. In the new management, the government collaborates with numerous con-
servation organizations (local and international) that have potential resources (human
resources, budget, and networking) to improve the previous management systems. As
shown by the Directorate General of KSDAE [13], these collaborative works have addressed
numerous programs, including (1) the utilization of captive elephants to drive wild ele-
phants back to their habitats; (2) elephant registration using a microchip; (3) ecological
studies to investigate elephant feed and the relationship between feed nutrition contents
and feeding behaviour; (4) the utilization of elephants for conservation activities (patrol,
habitat protection, survey, and monitoring); (5) conservation education; and (6) ecotourism
to improve ETC management and mitigate HEC.
Besides these programs, the government and conservation organizations also devel-
oped several other programs to mitigate HEC, and the most prevalent one is the community-
based crop-guarding [106]. This program is classified as an active deterrent method and
early detection of elephant contact with humans [107]. In this program, the local commu-
nities protect their crops from elephant disturbances using supplementary tools, such as
loud noises, sirens, firecrackers, spotlight, cracking whips, fireworks, kerosene lamps, and
watchtowers [64,106,107]. This program is quite effective in mitigating HEC [107]. Hedges
and Gunaryadi [63] and Gunaryadi et al. [106] found that community-based crop-guarding
using conventional tools thwarted crop-raiding up to 81.2% in 2005–2006 and 91.2% in
WKNP in 2007.
Other strategies for HEC mitigation are the passive deterrent methods such as, us-
ing trenches, barbed wire fences, beehive fences, chili fences, chili-dung fires, electric
fences, and rolling drums [107]. These strategies have different characteristics and re-
quirements (Table 4). Until now, tin-can fences, trenches, rolling drums, tripwire fences,
and community-based guarding are still implemented in mitigating HEC on Sumatra
Island [107]. Electric fences are also used to minimize HEC; however, establishment and
maintenance costs are quite expensive [106,108]. Another program addressed to mitigate
HEC is the cultivation of non-preferred crops such as lemongrass and orange. This program
has been implemented around Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) and Bukit Tigapuluh
landscape (Tebo, Jambi). This program can minimize crop damage, and it is beneficial
to communities. However, the methods are less effective because they cannot be applied
across wide areas and are costly [109,110].
Diversity 2022, 14, 420 9 of 21
Table 4. Methods of crop raiding prevention in HEC mitigation used in Sumatra.
Mitigation Effectiveness to
No Advantage Disadvantage References
Methods Mitigate HEC
• Low costs Gunaryadi et al.

• No maintenance costs [106]; Sugiyo
Community-based • Low risks to elephant Low commitment and
1. High et al. [107];
crop-guarding • Can be implemented in a dedication of the local people
Fernando et al.
wide area [109]
• Low risks to elephant Department of

• High establishment costs Forestry [90];
2. Trenches • Can be implemented in a High
• High maintenance costs Sugiyo et al.
wide area
[107]
• Low cost
• Low risk to elephants • Not durable Febryano et al.
Barbed wire • Easy to implement • The implementation
3. Low [105]; Sugiyo
fences • Can be implemented in a problem is medium et al. [107]
medium area
• High maintenance
• Low cost Department of
• Not durable
• Low risk to elephants Forestry [90];
4. Beehive fences • Difficult to implement Low
• Beneficial to Sugiyo et al.
• Implemented in a
communities [107]
small area
• Low risk to elephant

• Establishment cost is Department of
Chili and tobacco medium Forestry [90;
crop protection • Easy to implement • High maintenance costs
5. Low Gunaryadi et al.
methods (applied • Beneficial to communities [106]; Sugiyo
in fences) • Can be implemented in a et al. [107]
medium area
• Low cost
• Low maintenance costs
• Not durable (prone to get Sugiyo et al.
6. Tin-can fences • Can be implemented in a Low
broken) [107]
medium area
• Low risks to elephant
• Low establishment cost

Tripwire-triggered • Can be implemented in a • High maintenance costs Sugiyo et al.
7. medium area • Not durable Medium
fences [107]
• Low risks to elephants
• Low cost
• Durable • Implemented only in a Sugiyo et al.
8. Rolling drum • Maintenance cost is small area Medium
[107]
medium
3.3. The Basic Needs for Elephants and Humans and the Potency of Coexistence
The basic needs of elephants are feed, water, shade trees, and salt [111–113]. Elephants
generally consume 290–400 different species and different parts of plants [8,112,114]. In
their home ranges, elephants consume 50–59 species. When feed availability is decreasing,
elephants will search for food within and outside their home ranges [18,113,115]. Elephants
like oil palm, bananas, corn, and pumpkins that are raided in the fields [63,69,78,110]. The
Diversity 2022, 14, 420 10 of 21
daily movement of the Sumatran elephant is between 5.93–10.78 km, and the home range is
around 97.4 km2 [33,111,115] with the roaming distance for a group between 7–15 km/day
(Average 0.01–1.5 km/h) [111,115].
The interaction of elephants and humans for space dates back to the Paleolithic
period [28,116]. Humans utilized elephants for food, religious rituals, and pets. Archae-
ologists found evidence of elephant exploitation in the dismembered bones and signs of
damage done by poachers [117,118]. In this case, humans interact with wildlife to fulfill
their food needs, to gain self-esteem, and to reduce stress [119]. However, nowadays,
natural resource utilization is not only for basic needs but also for economic purposes that
cause over-exploitation and reduce food resources for elephants [113,120]. Other activities
that have direct impacts on elephants are poaching and illegal ivory trade [42,43,121].
The successful coexistence between humans and elephants can be achieved if humans
adapt their behavior to elephant behavior [122]. Negative perceptions toward elephants
need to be altered by considering the benefits of elephants to human life [20,123]. For
instance, elephants are helpful in plant spreading and elephants’ feces can be used as a
natural fertilizer. The level of community welfare adjacent to the elephants’ habitats might
influence human perceptions towards elephants and promote opportunities for harmonious
coexistence. Human perceptions towards elephants relate to income level and dependency
on forest resources. The income level of the local people around the elephant habitat is
generally low, and they generally live in poverty [124]. As an example in OKI District,
South Sumatra Province, the family income was Rp. 1,060,833–1,814,583/month (around
US$75–128), which is below the regional wages [124]. Local people usually work in the
agriculture sector and cultivate the forestland adjacent to residential areas. This denotes
the higher dependency of local people on forest resources [125].
To meet a decent life, people particularly who work in the agricultural sector need ade-
quate land to grow crops. Based on the Indonesian statistical agency, the minimum required
land for a decent family life is 1.0 ha. This minimum amount of land per household may
vary depending on regions, the number of families, farmland conditions, and commodities
grown on the land [126]. In a village near the forest, the minimum land area that farmers
must own to meet their welfare was 2.51 ha, which is 0.65 ha for rice, 1.12 ha for corn, and
0.74 ha for soybeans [127]. However, many farmers around the conservation forests manage
land less than one hectare which is a potential cause for land grabbing or illegal forest land
occupation [124]. Therefore, farmland intensification and livelihood diversification are
needed to minimize HEC, such as agroforestry and ecotourism development [128].
4. Recommendation on the Successful Human-Elephant Coexistence

The government and related parties on Sumatra Island have developed strategies
to minimize HECs. However, they are still not optimal considerably, as shown by the
increasing HEC cases in several parts of Sumatra and the detrimental impacts on both
sides [28,129–131]. Based on this review of the available HEC mitigation strategies and
an understanding of the needs of both humans and elephants, we recommend the follow-
ing recommendations to improve the successful human-elephant coexistence. They are:
(1) strengthening policies and institutions; (2) increasing conservation programs on the habi-
tats and movement corridors of elephants; (3) community empowerment; and
(4) implementing compensation schemes for conflict victims.
4.1. Strengthening Policies and Institutions That Relate to HEC Mitigation

To save wildlife and overcome HEC, the Indonesian government has issued several
regulations in Section 3.1. The most specific regulations to overcome human and wildlife
conflicts are the Forestry Minister Regulation Number P.57/2008 [132] on the Strategic
Directions for National Species Conservation 2008–2018 and the Minister of Forestry Regu-
lation No. P.48/2008 on human and wildlife conflicts management [24,25]. However, those
regulations are not strong enough in terms of their legal force, and they are not specific
enough to mitigate HEC.
Diversity 2022, 14, 420 11 of 21
In the future, policies in mitigating human-wildlife conflicts in Indonesia must ac-

commodate various interests in forest management, such as animal conservation, social,
economic, cultural, political, and provincial/district spatial issues. Regulations need to
accommodate social, cultural, and economic aspects for the benefit of the local commu-
nity [25]. The legal power of regulations at the ministerial level is insufficient to address
several HEC issues that involve other institutions from different ministries. Therefore,
a regulation with higher levels, such as government regulation, needs to be released.
Government regulations can instruct various institutions across provincial and district
governments, such as the National Disaster Management Agency, the Indonesian national
army, the Indonesian police, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Health in
overcoming HEC [24].
Furthermore, the synergy of goals and missions of institutions in mitigating HEC also
needs to be improved through coordination and collaboration. Collaborative management
can accommodate the interests of various parties that can improve the effectiveness of
conflict mitigation and overcome financial problems. Some relevant stakeholders that are
commonly connected to HEC consist of regional governments, logging companies, indus-
trial forest companies, plantation corporates, NGOs, and local communities. Institutions
must be built legally, operationally, and approved by the Ministry of Environment and
Forestry to represent the Central Government [25].
4.2. Increasing Habitat Conservation

4.2.1. Habitat and Corridor Restorations
Conservation practices to mitigate conflicts include restoring degraded habitats and
constructing elephant corridors. Elephant habitat restoration programs are essential to
increase the availability of resources to reduce the likelihood of elephants entering agri-
cultural areas. Habitat restoration includes habitat enrichment by planting trees and
understorey plants that are favorable to elephants, high nutrient contents, fast-growing,
endemic plants, and/or non-invasive plants. The recommended species of trees are Ar-
tocarpus integer, Garcinia celebica, Palaquium obovatum Macaranga gigantea, and Macaranga
lowii [133]; while the recommended understorey plants are Pennisetum purpureum, Ottochloa
nodosa Melastoma malabathricum, Stenochlaena palustris, Cyperus kyllingia, Setaria megaphylla,
Nephrolepis biserrata, Andropogon intermedius, and Andropogon halepensis [51,133]. Habitat
restoration should also consider elephant home range and access to water sources [51,134].
Restoration of elephant corridors is important to connect fragmented habitats to fulfill
the basic need of elephants such as feed, migration, and finding water. Corridor restoration
can be implemented by constructing natural corridors (based on land, water, and vegetation
improvement) and artificial corridors (paths created by humans) such as bio-bridges [135].
Enriching corridors with vegetation is a practical, cheap, and valuable solution. It is because
these targeted areas are small, and the corridors can be utilized by communities if locals
understand the natural behavior of elephants, such as the food selection and migration
period [135,136].
A corridor should be developed by following elephant migratory/movement tracks.
One of the recommended shapes is the stepping-stone model. Each stepping-stone is
planted with an annual feed species by combining tree species, legumes, and understorey
that elephants like to consume (grass and shrubs). The trees or perennial plants that are not
preferred by elephants, such as oranges can be used as corridor barriers with 30–40% of
their proportion. The disliked trees will grow, and at the same time, the trees will reduce
the likelihood of the elephants entering the human areas and thus can reduce disturbance.
Fruit can also be utilized by farmers [110]. Stepping-stone corridors are built based on the
distance of animals to the outside of the forest area to prevent disturbances to settlements
and agricultural areas. For example, in the forest plantation in Ogan Komering Ilir Regency,
elephants enter gardens and community settlements 2–3 km from the industrial forest
boundary [51]. Stepping stones can be made along 4–5 km of forest or 1–2 km before the
edges of a community settlement. Stepping stones must be free from obstacles (temporal
Diversity 2022, 14, 420 12 of 21
or permanent), such as roads, electric fences, crop cultivations, and buildings [135]. On
the farmland close to elephant habitats or corridors, farmers are recommended to grow
plants that are disliked by elephants, such as some medicinal plants (ginger, chili, lemon-
grass, garlic, and onion) and beehive fences (bee feed) that are safe and also economically
beneficial for the communities [137,138].
4.2.2. Encouraging the Establishment of EEA Outside Conservation Forests

The largest area of Sumatran elephants’ habitat is outside the conservation forest.
The Indonesian government has made a policy that ecosystems outside conservation
areas that are ecologically, socially, economically, and culturally important for biodiversity
conservation can be designated as EEA [139]. EEA can also be developed to improve
the connectivity between fragmented habitats and animals’ home ranges in the same
landscape [140,141]. The mammals that have a wide home range, such as elephants, tigers
(Panthera tigris) [142], Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) [143], and orangutans
(Pongo abelii) [144], use more than one ecosystem as their habitat [145]. Therefore, they need
wider areas to avoid human disturbance to their natural habitats. One of the EEA concepts
has been successfully applied to mitigate conflicts in Tebo Regency, Jambi [78].
Management of ecosystems in the landscape needs to be done through an integrated
approach that heeds ecological, socio-cultural, and economic aspects [141,145]. The integra-
tion of community activities within EEA is organized with limited access to fulfill daily
needs that are regulated in a zoning system. Strict prohibition of public access to elephant
habitats only results in antipathy of the public towards the region and the existence of
elephants [59,146]. Therefore, granting access to utilization zones is a form of coexistence
as it facilitates sustainable management that benefits communities and improves habitat
conservation [147,148].
The EEA for elephants must be designed as a unitary area that can include a protection
forest and several management units with different businesses (oil palm plantations, indus-
trial forest, concession forest, and indigenous forest). Therefore, it needs the support and
participation of many stakeholders, such as local government, corporates, and local people.
The support and participation can be in the form of providing land for EEA, budgeting,
and synergizing the unit management in the EEA. To realize the coordination among the
stakeholders, collaborative management of EEA either through a forum or a consortium is
recommended [145].
4.3. Community Empowerment

Community empowerment is an essential strategy in wildlife management that must
be implemented to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. The improvement of human and ele-
phant coexistence can be realized through the development of socio-cultural communities
adjacent to forests [149,150]. Several alternatives of community empowerment recom-
mended on Sumatra Island are ecotourism-based elephant management, the development
of value-added community-based enterprise, providing legal access to forests through
Social Forestry (SF) program, and implementing compensation schemes for conflict victims.
4.3.1. Ecotourism-Based Elephant Management

The Directorate General of KSDAE [151] highlights that ecotourism is expected to be
the best solution for overcoming ETC financial issues. Ecotourism is an ecological protection
model that provides economic and social benefits to communities around forests [152,153].
Wildlife has enormous potential as a tourism icon [25,36,154,155]. The authenticity and
physical interactions with wild animals, including elephants, are enticing for tourists and
increase ecotourism potential [155,156]. Elephant-based ecotourism is a farmer empower-
ment strategy in the form of community-based resource management (CBRM) [108,157].
The development of elephant ecotourism can be carried out on wild or tame elephants.
Semi-natural tame elephant ecotourism has been implemented through the development
Diversity 2022, 14, 420 13 of 21
of ETCs in several parks in Indonesia, such as in GLNP, WKNP, and KSNP [20,158] that
involve the communities to reduce conflicts [159].
Some scholars have evaluated the impacts of the implementation of ecotourism-based
elephant management in Indonesia. Mahfud [154] evaluated Seblat ETC in Bengkulu
Province based on habitat conditions, authenticity, and aesthetic values, which are valued
as high quality. Seblat ETC has provided a safer and more feasible habitat for captured
elephants from conflict areas [39]. In GLNP, which covers Aceh and North Sumatra, the
development of ecotourism has become a new source of income for the community, so
timber extraction and encroachment activities in the national park have decreased [25]. The
direct financial contribution of ecotourism can help to improve conservation activities, such
as treating injured animals, forest protection, and removing invasive species [135].
From socioeconomic aspects, communities around the ETC highly support elephant
ecotourism because it creates job opportunities and generates income for local people.
Elephant ecotourism needs mahouts, tour guides, security guards, and other employment
forms that can empower local people, as practiced in Aek Nauli Elephant Conservation
Camp (ANECC) in North Sumatra [160]. Ecotourism also generates economic income from
services and facilities such as lodgings, food, and souvenir vendors. Elephant ecotourism
is also well received by visitors. A study in Seblat ETC reported that 64% of the visitors
were very satisfied with the tame elephant attractions and willing to pay (WTP) Rp. 32,329
(about US$2.2) for one visit to the area [154].
For wild elephants, wildlife ecotourism programs (e.g., safari tourism widely im-
plemented in Africa) are still limited in Indonesia. The development of wild elephant
ecotourism is potential in Indonesia because national parks and EEA including their cor-
ridors, such as Bukit Tigapuluh National Park (BTNP) and KSNP have been designated
for elephants’ habitats. The designation of the essential elephant habitats can increase the
chances for humans to observe elephants in their natural life, including when a herd of
elephants is migrating. Therefore, the managers should improve the facilities to allow
the public to observe and access those areas. The local people around the essential areas
need to be involved in managing the ecotourism, developing supporting facilities, and
providing supplementary feed for elephants. Ecotourism development can be supported by
collaboration with companies around the area, especially in financial support through a Cor-
porate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme, or funding by the government [20,25]. However,
elephant-based ecotourism management needs to pay attention to elephant welfare. The
recreation areas that utilize tamed animals to attract visitors including Sumatran elephants
have the potential for animal exploitation by forcing elephants to entertain visitors [160].
Therefore, ecotourism practices that use elephants must ensure to do not negatively impact
their welfare. Five domains of animal welfare including nutrition, physical environment,
health, behavioral interaction, and mental state should be considered and fulfilled in the
development of elephant-based ecotourism [161].
4.3.2. The Development of Value-Added Community-Based Enterprise

The biggest challenge to creating the coexistence between humans and elephants is
to change the farmers’ behavior from the dependency on the direct products of forest
(provisioning) into industrial communities [135,157]. To overcome this issue, training
should be given to local people to improve their knowledge and skills to run the new
model of resource management, that is value addition to land and products. For instance,
the enhancement of community enterprises to provide foods and souvenirs is a valuable
addition to products that has been successfully implemented in elephant ecotourism [155].
Agroforestry, silvopasture, silvofishery, and beekeeping are examples of the increasing
value of forest land that can be promoted to improve land productivity to reduce the
expansion of forest clearing [162].
Diversity 2022, 14, 420 14 of 21
4.3.3. Providing Legal Access to Forest through Social Forestry (SF) Program
The involvement of local people in forest management is the best approach to improv-
ing forest protection and reducing HEC [162]. Provision of legal access to forests has been
implemented in several programs in Indonesia, and SF is the most applied program that
covers the broader aspects and types of forests, including the forests adjacent to elephant
habitats. Government regulation No. 6/2007 [163] and Environmental and Forestry Minis-
terial Regulation No. 9/2021 [164] have regulated the implementation of the SF program.
Agroforestry and ecotourism are two SF management models of conflicting areas [165]
that are also potential to be implemented in the forests with HEC. In general, community
members (families) can manage 2 ha of forest per family in the agroforestry model [125].
For the ecotourism model, community members usually manage the designated CF forest
collectively. If the communities managed areas properly, the forest can provide a feasible
income to communities and can reduce the pressure on elephants’ habitat. In the HEC
areas, local people can cultivate the land with species that are not preferred by elephants,
such as citrus and citronella.
4.3.4. Implementing Compensation Schemes for Conflict Victims

Compensation can reduce the financial impact on farmers that has the potential to
improve the opportunities for harmonious coexistence [166,167]. Compensation must be
accompanied by an agreement and guarantee that the community will not repel and kill
animals if their plants are eaten or damaged by wild animals [168,169]. The compensation
recipients are farmers that are directly involved in conflict with elephants who can be
identified by the Conflict Management Team [170]. The compensation value is adjusted to
the losses suffered by each farmer or ‘victim’ of the conflict. One approach that can be taken
is to calculate the number of damaged plants multiplied by the average yield of harvest
sales from the landowner.
In India, the allocation of compensation costs in conflict mitigation can be up to
US$5,332,762, which is used to replace damage to crops and other property, replace live-
stock, human injury, and death contribution to the victims [169]. Compensation given
must be in non-cash, such as (1) seeds and plant fertilizers, (2) machines to manage land,
and (3) marketing assistance for crops so that they are not controlled by agents [162]. The
budget allocation for compensation can be part of the Government budget (Central and
Regional) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and grant assistance from abroad
through NGOs.
5. Conclusions
HEC is a severe threat to elephant conservation and human lives and livelihood.
HEC is mainly driven by habitat conversion into monoculture plantations, community
settlements, and infrastructures. Deforestation has caused the loss of 80–90% of elephant
habitat. This condition has forced elephants to have closer contact with people, leading to
increased conflicts. Continuous HEC has resulted in the declination of more than 50% of the
elephant population in the last 20 years. HEC commonly occurs in the remaining elephant
enclave in each province. Regulations for mitigating human-wildlife conflicts need to be
upgraded from the ministerial level to the government level to serve as instructions for
various government institutions and organizations. Numerous programs addressed to
mitigate HEC are still ineffective as some of them require high operational costs and may
only be effective in a small area. Though it is challenging to develop, successful coexistence
between humans and elephants is essential to protect Sumatran elephants from extinction.
We recommend numerous strategies for developing successful coexistence between humans
and elephants including strengthening policies and institutions, habitat restoration, corridor
development, encouraging the establishment of EEA in every province, empowering the
community through an economy generated from elephant-friendly ecotourism, providing
legal access to forestlands for farmers, and improving community resilience through the
Diversity 2022, 14, 420 15 of 21
compensation scheme. The program should be made in a collaborative and integrated

manner with relevant stakeholders.
Author Contributions: Literature review, conceptualization, draft preparation, validation, and

finalization of the draft by W.K., R.G., H.G., R.O.P.S., F.J.H., R.T.K., E.K., T.A., M.Z., M.T. and
D.G. All authors have contributed equally as main contributors, and all authors have read and agreed
to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding: This study received no external funding.
Informed Consent Statement: This research is a literature review that do not involve humans.
Acknowledgments: We acknowledge the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the
Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and all parties who have support to the manuscript.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. There were no funders to review
and write this manuscript.
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2.4 3.

Can Humans and Elephants

Received: 31 March 2022

Diversity 2022, 14, 420. https://doi.org/10.3390/d14060420 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity

The population of Sumatran elephants started to decrease when the government of

Figure 1. Conceptual framework of the study.

2. Sumatran Elephant Life History and Population Distributions

No Habitat Year of Assessment Population Size References

2.1.2. Captive Elephants

2.2. Deforestation and Habitat Loss of Sumatran Elephants

The extent of deforestation (million hectare) 3.51

Non Forest Area Forest Area Indonesia

Figure 3. Indonesian deforestation trends in 1990–2019 [53].

The development of infrastructure to improve the access to Sumatra Island also

Province/Region Current Distributions of Elephants Frequency of HEC Drivers

3. Overview of HEC Mitigation in Sumatra Island

3.2. The Current HEC Mitigation in Sumatra Island

Table 4. Methods of crop raiding prevention in HEC mitigation used in Sumatra.

• Low costs Gunaryadi et al.

• Low risks to elephant Department of

• Low risk to elephant

• Low establishment cost

4. Recommendation on the Successful Human-Elephant Coexistence

4.1. Strengthening Policies and Institutions That Relate to HEC Mitigation

In the future, policies in mitigating human-wildlife conflicts in Indonesia must ac-

4.2. Increasing Habitat Conservation

4.2.2. Encouraging the Establishment of EEA Outside Conservation Forests

4.3. Community Empowerment

4.3.1. Ecotourism-Based Elephant Management

4.3.2. The Development of Value-Added Community-Based Enterprise

4.3.4. Implementing Compensation Schemes for Conflict Victims

compensation scheme. The program should be made in a collaborative and integrated

Author Contributions: Literature review, conceptualization, draft preparation, validation, and

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