Protecting elephant corridor in Bengkulu-Seblat is crucial: BKSDA

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Bengkulu(ANTARA) –
The Bengkulu Natural Resources Conservation Authority (BKSDA) has stressed the importance of maintaining the Sebulat Landscape Elephant Corridor to protect Sumatran elephants and help them live in harmony with humans.

To this end, continuous efforts to raise public awareness of elephant corridor conservation are crucial as this can help mitigate human-elephant conflict in Bengkulu, said Delphi Andela, the agency’s acting head.

He said in a press statement on Tuesday that it was necessary to maintain the elephant corridor in the Sebrat Landscape Area given the potential for a large population of Sumatran elephants in the area.

At the same time, there may be people or companies carrying out activities near the area that overlap with the elephants’ habitat, he said, adding that the elephant corridor would help prevent highly pathogenic organic compounds.

In this regard, the BKSDA welcomed the findings of a study by the Institute of Research and Community Services of Universiti Bengkulu on the socio-economic activities carried out by settlers in Seblat Landscape, he said.

He added that the findings published by the university could serve as one of the reliable references in exploring how to curb the recurrence of human-wildlife conflict in Bengkulu.

As reported earlier, the BKSDA-Bengkulu office has been aware of the serious threats to wild elephant habitats in the province since 2011.

The agency said the habitat of these protected animals is shrinking due to the continuous encroachment of limited productive forests in Pasar Seblat area of North Bengkulu Regency.

The agency said limited productive forests that serve as habitat for wild elephants have been surrounded by commercial plantations and residential areas.

The Indonesian government has listed the Sumatran elephant as one of the country’s critically endangered mammals.

According to data published on the official website of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the number of Sumatran elephants is estimated to be around 2,400 to 2,800.

The world’s leading wildlife conservation and endangered species organization noted that ivory can still be found on markets in Africa and Asia, as well as in the United States and Europe.

WWF also noted that poaching for the illegal ivory trade remains a serious threat to the lives of wild elephants in some countries. (INE)

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