Collaborative Management of Essential Ecosystem Area for Sumatran Elephant Corridor

within Seblat Landscape of Bengkulu Province

Presented by:

Ir. Agus Priambudi M.ScHead, Environment and Forestry Regional Office, Bengkulu Province

(Collaboration Forum of Seblat Elephant Corridor)

Workshop on Verified Conservation Area,Jakarta, 24-25 September 2018

Contributions of:

1. Ali Akbar (LSM Kanopi)2. Dr. Gunggung Senoaji (UNIB)3. Hilman (BKSDA Bengkulu)4. Yanti (BKSDA Bengkulu)5. David (DLHK Prov Bengkulu)

A piece of paper on Action Plans to manage SeblatLandscape as Elephant Corridor in Bengkulu

Last written on Juli 2018 in Bengkulu

Following presentation based on our pride of this nearly final document

Current status of Wild Sumatran Elephant

Small sizes of populations live in

Kerinci Seblat NP, Seblat Recreation

Forest/RF, Production Forest/PF and

Palm Oil Plantation Estates.

Between 50 – 80 individuals browse within lands and forests of Muko-MukoDistrict areas (Kerinci Seblat NP, Teramang PF, Ipuh PF)

Betwwen 50 – 70 individuals browse whitin Seblat RF, Air Rami PF, LebongKandis PF, fragmented between SeblatRF and Kerinci Seblat NP.

The first field team –checking forests and assessing coveragesfor elephant habitats

Abubakar, Hilman (BKSDA Bengkulu), Dr. Gunggung (UNIB), David (DLHK Prov Bengkulu)

Photo: David/DLHK Bkl

In 2000 once wildlife and environmentactivist, named Elephant ConsevationCommunity (ECC) of Bengkulu, discussedon efforts to handle indicated decreasingelephant population.

A year ago, on August 2017, continueddiscussion was initiated by ECC throughAKAR Network, with BKSDA Bengkuluand DLHK Provinsi Bengkulu, andplanned to continue in formal meetingand field survey.

It’s now happennedafter 17 years discussed

Photo: DLHK Bkl

Ecosystem habitat situations within Seblat Landscapes

• Land, forest and water

• Infrastrutures of forest and palm oil estates/companies

• Locals and their farmings

Photo: Hilman/BKSDA Bkl

Photo: Hilman/BKSDA Bkl

Photo: M. Riazon/DLHK Bkl

TALKS ON SUMATRAN ELEPHANT CORRIDOR

• SOCIALISATION ON ESSENTIAL ECOSYSTEM AREAS

• SHARING INFORMATION WITH SOME RELATED STAKE-HOLDERS

• MAKING A CONCEPT OF FORUM/ORGANISATION, AND PLANNING TO DISCUSS ACTION PLAN

Photo: David/DLHK Bkl

Photo: David/DLHK Bkl

Photo: David/DLHK Bkl

Discussion on elephant corrsidor action plans writing up in Kanopi Office

some brief commitments agreed:

1. Essential Ecosystem Area (EEA) plays an important role to support ecological processes for sustaining wildlife and human life.

2. Biodiversity within an EEA should be protected as social, culture, economic and ecological related potential for local livelihood, national and international importance, and any human and natural caused destructions come to this EEA must be handled.

3. Kerinci Seblat NP is naturally home of wild sumatranelephant, and Seblat is another remaining protected forest supporting some other living wild population. Between both protected areas as an indicated EEA that should be further worked out.

4. Identified some related stake-holders to engage in managing essential habitat for sumatran elephant population in Bengkulu Province.

It’was understood and agreed to save elephant population and its habitat

18 October 2017

TWA Seblat, forest habitat for wild

Sumtran elephant population

Kerinci Seblat NP

MAP OF MODELLED ELEPHANT HABITAT CORRIDOR

MAP OF POTENTIAL SUMATRAN ELEPHANT CORRIDOR

Support fromGovernor of Bengkulu Province

Decreed No. 497.DLHK. Tahun 2017 dated December 22, 2017 on Establishment of Colaboration Forum of Management of Essential Ecosystem Area for Sumatran Elephant Corridor of Seblat Landscape of Bengkulu.

• implementation of an Act No. 23 the Year of 2014 concerning Local Government →must do manage areas of high ecosystem values and supporting life of protectied areas;

• Sumatran elephant as a key wild animal where its habitat and populations in small sizes separately distributed, so the landscapes within their habitats are identified as an area of high ecosystem values.

Forum consisting of 17 partiesBengkulu Environment and ForestryOffice/DLHK, Bengkulu Natural ResourcesAgency/BKSDA, Kerinci Seblat NPAgency/BBTNKS, Bengkulu Planning andResearch Development Office/BAPPEDA,University Of Bengkulu (ForestryDepartment, Biology Department,Environment Centre), Indonesian ElephantConservation Forum, GENESIS, LINGKARINSTITUT, KANOPI, WCS, FFI, PT Alno AgroUtama (plantation company), PT AnugrahPratama Inspirasi (Forestry ConcessionCompany), Village of Gajah Makmur

CAMPAIGNS

Few news released as our pride to announce what we have done

ON GOING DIFFICULTIES

• Illegal hunting

• Illegal settlements within forest

• Illegal logging

• Land and forest fires

• Landslides

Occurred ini PF Air Teramang-Mukomuko and where enchroaced forest land by Abu Razan/local worked out

Would we achieve succes in maintaining wild sumatran elephant

and habitats

• Final draft of Action Plans

provided by Forum

• Welcome Forewords have

been made by Governor of

Bengkulu Province and DG of

Conservation of Nature

Resources and Ecosystem,

MOEF.

ACTION PLANSimplementing field works whitin Seblat corridor landscapes to save wild elephant population and habitats.

STRATEGIES TO DEVELOP ELEPHANT CORRIDOR OF SEBLAT LANDSCAPES(remain to be discussed further)

Collaboration improvement and support for corridor management and empowerment of elephant conservation

Establishment of initiatives of utilisation and sustainably management of resources

Mitigation of elephant and human conflict

Corridor conservation and requirement for ecosystem restoration and identification of alternative management

Empowerment of local communities adjacent EEA with approachments of local potentials and EEA based economic development.

Conflict resolution and management

Population monitoring and management

Training and awareness

Local social and economic empowerment

Adaptive action plan document

EEA management model document

Documentation, publication, campaign materials

SO, WHERE ARE WE UP TO IN THE PROCESSES ?

IT IS REQUIRED A MANAGEMENT PLAN AND THE IMPLEMENTATION AND ITS MONITORING

Coming challenges

• Difficulties in designing and field monitoring due to distributed and fragmented small sizes of wild populations.

• Unpredictable situation of conflict of human and elephants happenned.

• Passive participation of local communities in supporting Sumatran Elephant conservation and its planned habitat corridor

• Potential threath from legal permit issued for coal mining within Seblat Recreation Forest

• Lack in contribution from stake holders in supporting budget for action plans.

SEEING THIS CHEERFUL SITUATION, DO YOU THINK WE CAN EASY TO HANDLE SOME DIFFICULTIES AND CHALLENGES FACED

IN RUNNING OUT FIELD CONSERATION ACTIONS ??

LEBIH BAIK NYALAKAN LILIN DARIPADA KUTUK KEGELAPAN

It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness

THANK YOU

for your kind attention