Prevent Elephant Conflict With The Society, BBKSDA Install 2 GPS Worth IDR 451 Million

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PEKANBARU - Riau Natural Resources Conservation Center (BBKSDA), together with other stakeholders, installed two units of the Collar Global Positioning System (GPS) to anticipate the Sumatran elephant conflict (Elephas maximus sumatranus) with the community.

"We are trying to protect Sumatran elephants that live around the elephant pockets of Balai Raja and the elephant bags of Giam Siak around the Pekanbaru-Dumai (Permai) Toll Road," said Executive Vice President (EVP) Secretary of Hutama Karya (HK), Tjahjo Purnomo, quoting from Antara, Sunday, January 29.

He explained that the installation of the two GPS Collar units worth IDR 451,600,000 was to anticipate the possibility of elephant conflicts with the community around the main toll road users.

"GPS Collar is one of the technologies to monitor the movement of wildlife and to find out the position of wildlife quickly with a wide range commonly used by researchers or wildlife managers," he said.

His party is trying to preserve and survive the Sumatran elephant, namely through the HK Care for the Social & Environmental Responsibility (TJSL) program.

As for implementing this program, he said, the collaboration will be carried out in early February 2023.

The head of the Riau BBKSDA, Genman Suhefti Hasibuan, explained that the installation of the GPS Collar was carried out by attaching the tool to wildlife and the tool was working to provide information in the form of a location signal where the wildlife was located.

"We ensure that the process of installing GPS Collar is in accordance with procedures and safe for elephants. Hopefully, the movement and life development of Sumatran elephants can be monitored more optimally as well as an effort to prevent conflicts between elephants and humans in the future," he said.

The GPS Collar installation, he said, was an early stage and in accordance with the mandate of President Joko Widodo and SOE Minister Erick Thohir regarding SOEs, namely it is important to build infrastructure, but still preserve nature and endemic wildlife that live around.

After installing the GPS Collar later, said Tjahjo Purnomo, in order to ensure the sustainability aspect, PT HK will educate the public in efforts to preserve elephants, as well as continue to reforestation of land in the form of planting elephant natural feed to provide safety to elephants while providing a sense of security and comfort for Permai toll road users.

In addition to building the Elephant Training Unit (UPG) and installing GPS Collar, the company's commitment to preserving nature and animal conservation is realized in land cultivation activities as well as planting tree and fruit seedlings carried out around toll roads and the Permai toll road "rest".