Elephant Carcasses in Pidie Jaya Carry a Message for Humanity

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A Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) died among a pile of wood and mud after a flash flood in Pidie Jaya Regency, Aceh. This indicates that their home in one of the provinces important for elephant biodiversity has been destroyed by human greed.

The population of Sumatran elephants continues to decline and is under pressure due to habitat conversion for human extractive economic activities such as mining and palm oil plantations. As a result, the chances of population survival are decreasing, and conflicts between elephants and humans in villages are increasing.

Several Sumatran elephant pockets in Aceh include, among others, Lamno-Krueng Sabee-Teunom-Woyla Barat, Seulawah-Jantho(Simueleu)-Kemala-Tangse, and Alue Buloh-Cot Girek-Gereudong-Paya-Bakong.

"Some pockets of these elephant populations are located outside the main conservation areas, resulting in a lower level of protection and greater vulnerability to disturbances," said Dewi Lestari Yani Rizki, Chief Conservation Officer of WWF Indonesia, when contacted from Jakarta on Monday (1/12/2025).

Research conducted by Muhammad Ali Imron and his team in 2023 entitled "The importance of mixed-use landscapes for the conservation of Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus)" stated that elephants were once widespread throughout the island of Sumatra, but now their populations are small and isolated.

This is a reminder for the government to restore damaged landscapes and review the permits of companies that damage the environment.

In the 1980s, rapid surveys estimated that there were still 2,800–4,800 individual elephants. Four decades later, in 2020, the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry estimated the total elephant population to be only 924–1,359 individuals residing in 22 range areas, thus placing them on the list of "endangered" species.

The research measured the potential habitat suitability for elephants across the island of Sumatra. The results indicated that the ideal land for the Sumatran elephant habitat covers an area of 135,646 square kilometers or 32 percent of the land area of Sumatra.

"From that area, it is divided into 43 exploration plots that are suitable throughout Sumatra, with the highest connectivity between plots concentrated in Riau and North Sumatra provinces," said Dewi.

The main variables that determine habitat suitability include human modification, surface flatness, and vegetation structure. This indicates that elephants not only require primary forests but can also exist in mixed landscapes or secondary forests as well as areas with human activity, provided that the habitat is adequate.

Such a vast forest is needed by the Sumatran elephant because their home range is estimated to be between 273-1,352 square kilometers. Their presence is also associated with dense forest cover and abundant water availability, rather than seeking shelter under oil palm trees.

However, most of the ideal area is actually located outside of officially designated conservation zones. Only 21 percent of potential habitats are within protected areas. This situation is exacerbated by conservation efforts for wildlife that have not taken into account the habitat needs of elephants, as only 12.3 percent of land in Sumatra is classified as protected.

Conservation areas that already exist, such as Lamno, Balai Raja, Tesso Tenggara, Tesso Utara, Bukit Tigapuluh, Seblat, Padang Sugihan, and Bukit Barisan Selatan, must be preserved and enhanced for the long-term survival of this endangered species.

If these areas disappear, elephants lose their options to move, mate, forage, and find routes they have known for generations. The risk of negative interactions with humans also increases because for elephants, it is an old home, while for the community, it is a living space today.

In addition, forests and wildlife habitats play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystems, including the role of animals in nurturing the ecosystem. If forests and wildlife habitats disappear, animal populations will not survive for long, leading to extinction, which also has the potential to impact the life support systems and sustainable development.

Therefore, WWF Indonesia encourages the government to improve forest quality to ensure that forest area remains stable. Various other approaches are also needed to address the challenges of economic development and infrastructure that must be sustainable.

"The indiscriminate deforestation and loss of forests must be curbed to increase opportunities to reduce the risk of potential disasters," Dewi said.

Separately, the Executive Director of Satya Bumi, Andi Muttaqien, assessed that the impact of the flash floods in Sumatra could likely be minimized if companies and the government thoroughly and transparently review each project permit and forest openings.

If left unchecked, elephants will not only be the victims, but also the Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis), the world's rarest great ape species, with a population of fewer than 800 individuals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the Tapanuli orangutan as critically endangered in 2017.

"The high number of casualties should serve as a reminder to the government to truly restore the damaged landscape, re-evaluate, and review the permits of environmentally destructive companies," said Andi.

Thus, the case of elephant deaths due to flooding in Pidie Jaya serves as an important signal that elephant conservation and forest land management cannot be separated from environmental and disaster risk management.