Artikel
Land Conversion
Land Conversion Creates Human-Elephant Conflict
Pekanbaru. Human-elephant conflict occurs again in Riau. Within two weeks of the last week in October, three conflicts had occurred, one of the conflicts, the conflict that occurred in Tasik Serai, Bengkalis regent even took its toll. A victim is an acacia planting worker of PT. Arara Abadi. In Balai Raja, Bengkalis district, elephant herd was also reported to raid plantation and settlement around.
Meanwhile, wild elephant herd raid community settlement around the bufferzone of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park. On Tuesday (31/10), team consisting of Nature Conservation Authority of Riau known as BKSDA and WWF Riau headed to location. Through coordination with Police of Indragiri Hulu district, on Wednesday (1/11), the chief of Indragiri Hulu district Police directly visited the location raided by wild elephants accompanied by WWF and BKSDA.
The elephant’s attack has caused two huts and one kitchen collapse, besides damages of several palm oil, coconut, and rubber trees. How much is the loss suffered by community in detail is still cannot be calculated since the damages found at field showed that the raid occurred in different locations. A long their journey, the wild elephants damaged several community plantations however they did not destroyed the plantations they went through at whole. The elephant herd split into some groups as the community tried to drive them away.
WWF and BKSDA team had given socialization to community on the techniques to drive wild elephants in the hope that there will be no victims from both sides. From the field survey, the team concluded that the split group had joint the herd again and headed to their habitat in the area called Serangge in the bufferzone of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park.
