Jakarta Globe – AFP, Feb 11, 2015
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| In this photograph taken on Jan. 25, 2015, a mahout deployed as forest ranger, prepares a trained Sumatran elephant at Trumon sub-district in province of Aceh, Sumatra. (AFP Photo/Chaideer Mahyuddin) |
Trumon,
Indonesia. Indonesian men ride on Sumatran elephants as they patrol though
dense jungle in the west of the tropical archipelago, warriors on the front
line of the fight against illegal logging and poaching.
They trek
alongside rivers, over rough terrain and deep into the rainforest in an area
that is home to numerous endangered species, from orangutans to tigers, but
which has suffered devastating deforestation in recent years.
The
sprawling Indonesian archipelago has large swathes of tropical forest but vast
tracts are being felled to make way for palm oil and pulp and paper
plantations, destroying biodiverse habitats and adding to greenhouse gas
emissions.
Much of the
logging that takes place is illegal as it happens outside concessions granted
to companies, but it is hard for authorities to keep track. Poaching of
endangered species is also common, with elephants killed for their ivory and
tigers for their pelts.
The
elephant patrol project, run with communities in the Trumon district of Aceh
province, on Sumatra island, aims to give a helping hand.
It employs
local men as “mahouts”, or elephant-keepers, who keep a lookout for illegal
logging and poaching and report it to authorities to follow up.
Hendra Masrijal,
33, quit his job as a food vendor to become a mahout. He is among a group of
around about 25 keepers involved in the scheme, including former separatists
who fought against the central government until a peace deal was struck a
decade ago.
“It makes me sad when I see pictures of elephants killed by poachers for their tusks,” Masrijal told AFP. “Their habitat is also being encroached [on] by farmers and villagers.”
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| In this photograph taken on Jan. 25, 2015, mahouts deployed as forest rangers, ride their trained Sumatran elephants at Trumon sub-district in Aceh, Sumatra for a patrol in a forested area. (AFP Photo/Chaideer Mahyuddin) |
“It makes me sad when I see pictures of elephants killed by poachers for their tusks,” Masrijal told AFP. “Their habitat is also being encroached [on] by farmers and villagers.”
The patrols
deep into the jungle last between two and seven days, with mahouts normally
spending 15 to 20 days a month on expeditions.
The
initiative covers a vast area of 27,000 hectares called the “Trumon Wildlife
Corridor”, which is wedged between two conservation areas. Authorities are
currently trying to push through legislation to give it protected status.
As well as
keeping a watch for logging and poaching, the program has staff who conduct
training in local communities and develop eco-tourism to give villagers who
have traditionally lived off illegal practices an alternative livelihood.
Tisna
Nando, a spokeswoman for USAID, which has funded the expansion of the project
over the past year, said communities were “enthusiastic” about the initiative.
“They see
that they can actually benefit economically from protecting the forest in the
area, rather than cutting it down,” she told AFP.
A study
last year published in the journal Nature Climate Change showed that Indonesia
had for the first time surpassed Brazil in its rate of tropical forest
clearance, despite a moratorium on new logging permits imposed several years
ago.
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