Illegal Elephant Conflict With Residents Not Also Done, Lampung Regency Government Asked For Assistance To Commission IV Of The Indonesian House Of Representatives (DPR RI)

Photo Illustration: Antara

LAMPUNG - The Environmental Service (DLH) of West Lampung Regency is coordinating with the Lampung Provincial Government (Pemprov) in resolving the problem of conflicts between wild elephants and residents.

"We are coordinating with the Lampung Provincial Government regarding the resolution of the wild elephant conflict with residents in Suoh," said Head of the West Lampung Regency Environment Agency (DLH) M Henry Faisal, quoted by Antara, Sunday, February 12.

According to him, the coordination was carried out considering that various efforts to resolve conflicts between humans and wild elephants had been carried out, but the conflict was still ongoing.

In addition to coordinating with the Lampung Provincial Government, he said, the West Lampung Regency Government also held hearings as well as submitted letters and proposals for assistance in handling conflicts between elephants and humans to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry through the Director General of Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems, as well as submitting a letter of application for support for the handling of conflicts between elephants and humans to Commission IV of the DPR RI.

He hopes that the request for assistance in handling conflicts between humans and wild elephants in West Lampung will be responded to immediately, both by the central government and the Lampung Provincial Government.

"We hope that the central government, considering that the conflict has been going on for quite a long time, causes public anxiety and inconvenience, causes loss to people's property due to damage caused by a herd of elephants, and threatens safety, both humans and elephant animals themselves," he said.

The conflict between humans and wild elephants in Suoh and Suoh Districts, West Lampung Regency has been going on for about 4 years since October 2018 until now.

The West Lampung Regency Government and its partners include the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (TNBBS), West Lampung Police, Kodim 0422 West Lampung, NGO (South Bukit Kecil and WCS Consortium), and the Pekon Task Force has carried out various efforts ranging from providing compensation and assistance to residents who are victims of conflict.

In addition, it also dispels and accompanies the herd of elephants back into their habitat on TNBBS, but whenever the diversion and convoy are completed, the elephant herd will be carried out within a week or two again entering plantations and residential areas.

"In the past week, a herd of wild elephants has been observed entering the backyard of a local resident's house. Monitoring the elephant herd has been carried out through the help of GPS collar which has been installed in one of the herd of wild elephants," he said.