Wildlife conservation

Wildlife conservation

We are wildlife biologists with the Wildlife Conservation
Society (formerly the New York Zoological Society) and would like
to comment on some of the issues raised in two articles published
in the Sept. 10 issue of The Jakarta Post (Saving Sumatra's
elephants and If you can't beat them, employ them) concerning the
future of Sumatra's elephants.

Our organization has been involved in elephant research and
conservation issues for over 20 years. Although much of this
research has concentrated on African elephants, the parallels
between conservation problems in Africa and Indonesia are great;
we believe that much of the experience gained from Africa could
be applied to Sumatra.

The elephant population of Sumatra is said to number around
4000. Historically, elephants ranged throughout the island of
Sumatra but due to increasing human settlement and loss of forest
habitat, elephants presently are restricted to 44 areas in the
five provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Lampung and
Bengkulu; some of these areas are reported to be experiencing
problems of elephant "overpopulation." It is the concentration of
elephants into smaller areas that results in the misconception of
overpopulation. As more and more habitat is lost, elephants are
pushed into smaller and smaller forest areas. The density, or
number of elephants in a given area, may increase dramatically as
habitat area decreases, while the actual population size is
plummeting. Additionally, if the estimated 4000 elephants are
isolated from one another and unable to mix, it is incorrect to
think of one large population. Instead, we should view the
problem as one of many small populations, each with its own
problems. Statements of elephant overpopulation on the island of
Sumatra therefore are oversimplified and misleading.

The issue at hand however, is the plan proposed by
Transmigration Minister Siswono Yudohusodo to shoot elephants
that are ranging outside designated protected areas and damaging
transmigration schemes. The minister's plan includes killing
elephants with tusk longer than 30 centimeters. Although culling
is a viable option for control of wildlife populations and is
used in some African countries, a culling program with these
criteria is problematic. This plan would eliminate breeders from
the population and increase the risk of extinction, which is
clearly not the goal of the program. Ivory poachers in Africa
also selected large-tusked animals, with disastrous results.
Normally, culling programs target surplus reproduction, or young
animals.

Because elephants are highly social, long-lived species the
proposed program would destroy the social fabric of elephant
society. Research has shown that older elephants have intricate
knowledge of their habitat, remembering travel routes and
traditional feeding grounds. This information is passed on from
generation to generation in the same way that human societies
pass on traditions. Killing older elephants may hamper
transmission of traditional knowledge to younger, naive
elephants. Without this knowledge, younger elephants no longer
aware of traditional paths or feeding areas, may rampage even
more. In Zimbabwe, entirely family units are taken down; this is
believed to be more humane because family groups cannot function
properly without their older members.

Minister of Forestry, Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo, voiced
concern over the lack of data on Sumatran elephants and stressed
the need for detailed monitoring. This is a significant concern.
If we are uncertain of population estimates or other population
characteristics, it would be unwise to initiate a culling program
with no scientific baseline. It would be best to first determine
in a rigorous and scientific fashion, the scope of the problem
and then develop a sound management strategy.

In all countries of the world, both developed and developing,
there are conflicts between natural resource conservation and
development. It is the careful balance between the resolution of
these two conflicts that should be a major goal of all
governments. Obviously, humans cannot live without modifying
their environment and developing countries must look towards
progress. Not all development however, can be viewed blindly as
progress, particularly if it leads to major degradation of the
landscape and wholesale elimination of species. Elephants are
protected species under Indonesian law; we encourage the
government to respect this and work to develop a wise management
plan for the stewardship of this valuable and increasingly
endangered animal.

MARGARET F. KINNAIRD

and TIMOTHY G. O'BRIEN

Associate Conservation Scientists

Wildlife Conservation Society

Manado, North Sumatra