From conflict to coexistence: Sabah's vision for saving elephants and livelihoods

Sinar Daily

3 days ago

In Sabah, humans are often cast as villains in conflicts with Bornean elephants. Yet this perception is far from the truth. Here, both humans and elephants are victims in what appears to be a complex "dance' for survival. This final in a two-part feature explores solutions to this age-old issue.
KINABATANGAN - The sun beats down mercilessly as the boat ferrying Bernama writer Fadzli Ramli and cameraman Arjasneh Ahmad, and Bernama TV videographer Ahmad Jimmy cuts through the murky waters of the Kinabatangan River, infamous for housing Sabah's largest crocodile population.
But the team is not there for the prehistoric predators.What draws them there is the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the endangered Bornean elephant, whose population has declined over the years due to habitat loss as a result of forest clearing for agriculture and development, resulting in a long-standing conflict between farmers striving to make an honest living and the displaced animals raiding crops in search of food.
Accompanied by their guide Sharon Rahman, known locally as Mai, from RESPonsible Elephant Conservation Trust (RESPECT), they wait for almost four hours before the boatman's wireless radio crackles to life, relaying news that wild elephants have been spotted along the riverbank, near Tahini Kinabatangan, a nature lodge in Kampung Billit located about 50 kilometres from Kinabatangan town.
Two adults emerge first from the forest, moving with a grace that makes one question everything they thought they knew about size and elegance. A curious kid follows, then two more adults join the party - in their natural habitat.
Several boats with foreign tourists are there too. There is silence. No selfies, no chatter; just pure, unadulterated awe of the majestic giants.
The population of the Bornean elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), the smallest subspecies of the Asian elephant and endemic to the northern part of Borneo, is down to about 1,000, with the majority found in the Kinabatangan area onthe east coast of Sabah and some in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
The solution to ending or minimising Sabah's man-elephant conflict is not merely about building higher fences. It is about finding that sweet spot where both sides can coexist peacefully.
POLICY
The Bornean elephants are protected by law, including Sabah's Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997. Also in place is the state government's BorneanElephant Action Plan (2020-2029) to ensure the long-term survival of the species.
Viewed as a pragmatic policy by experts, the 10-year plan focuses on habitat protection, research and, most importantly, human-elephant conflict mitigation.
Elaborating on this, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew told Bernama in an interview that the essence of the policy lies in its objectives.
"We're talking about long-term survival strategies - not just paying lip service but making genuine attempts to prevent these gentle giants from joining the ranks of the disappeared (species),' she said before confessing, "Actually, elephants are among the animals I'm most passionate about. We are very lucky in Borneo we've this particular species. So we must protect them.'
Revealing a little nugget of information, she told Bernama that international zoos have been clamouring for Borneo's elephants, but "I told them no, not for the time being'.
In a world where conservation often amounts to little more than expensive documentation of extinction, the 10-year action plan outlines the state's various initiatives to mitigate conflict and foster coexistence so that both humans and elephants can share the shrinking landscape without one destroying the other.
There is also the stark acknowledgment that some elephants will inevitably end up in human care, with the plan addressing the necessary strategies and measures for effective management of elephants kept in captivity- with an emphasis on treating them with dignity, not merely as sad exhibits in concrete enclosures.
Other items in the plan - elephant corridors, habitat restoration, community engagement and enforcement - read like a conservationist's dream.
Progress reports are already rolling in and Liew can barely contain her excitement.
"The impact of the action plan has been significant, with several key initiatives now underway,' she said.
3R PROGRAMME
One of the key components of the Bornean Elephant Action Plan is the Captive Elephant Management Plan launched by Liew in April this year.
The transition from "free contact' to "protected contact' management of captive elephants aims to enhance the safety of their handlers by minimising physical interaction with the tuskers while ensuring they are properly cared for.
Meanwhile, the state's 3R programme - Rescue, Rehabilitation, Release - is not a conservation fantasy but the real deal. The Bornean Elephant Sanctuary in Kinabatangan and Lok Kawi Wildlife Park near Kota Kinabalu are not just tourist traps but evolutionary arks in a landscape where wildlife habitats are shrinking.
"When they (elephants) are hurt, we have to bring them to the sanctuary to treat them, to nurse them. When they are well enough and ready to return to the forest, we will do it when the time comes,' explained Liew.
As this interview draws to a close, the minister, referring to the sanctuaries, said earnestly, "This is it. Our final 'dance' forthese magnificent creatures. And, failure?
"Failure isn't an option when extinction is waiting in the wings.'
NAPIER GRASS
Another key component of the action plan involves grass cultivation, particularly Napier grass, in designated elephant habitat areas as an alternative food source for wild elephants to prevent them from straying into oil palm estates or farmlands in search of food.
In other words, these emerald green,long and slender leaves, which can grow over two metres tall, constitute "peace offerings' to mitigate a conflict as old as agriculture itself.
A nine-kilometre stretch of land along the banks of the Kinabatangan River is now blanketed with Napier grass, planted by non-governmental organisation (NGO) RESPECT with the help of the Australian-based Intrepid Foundation and local communities. What began as a modest 0.4-hectare experiment in March last year has blossomed into something extraordinary.
RESPECT chairman Alexander Yee said by planting Napier grass, they are essentially creating a natural grazing area for elephants to forage, giving them a reason to stay in their habitat, away from the villages and plantations.
"It's not just about feeding them… it is about rewriting an age-old story of conflict into one of coexistence,' he said, explaining that the Napier grass they plant is sweeter than the variety commonly found on riverbanks.
In the Kinabatangan area, the same villagers who once chased elephants away are now helping to plant Napier grass.
Relating to Bernama about their initiative's first breakthrough moment, Yee said: "Two months after planting, seven elephants, including a calf, discovered the grass and devoured half of it.'
This served as confirmation that the wild elephants would consume grass cultivated by humans within designated feeding areas.
The success has been nothing short of remarkable. By January this year, RESPECT expanded its Napier grass cultivation project to another 13.5 ha inland at the Kampung Billit riparian reserve along the Kinabatangan River, creating what they now call the Borneo Elephant Food Corridor.
Just recently, more than 20 wild elephants were seen grazing on this Napier grass field, not far from the Tanini Kinabatangan resort. The herd arrived at dawn, 6.45 am to be precise, and stayed until dusk, longer than they have ever stayed before.
This initiative is not just about feeding elephants. It is about creating harmony in a land where man-wildlife conflict has become all too common. The strategy is straightforward: just give them their own "dining rooms', far away from the farms and palm oil plantations they are forced to raid.
Besides Napier grass, elephants also favour barau and perupok grasses, though more research is needed to determine which type of grass works best.
Elephants, it turns out, are master gardeners. As they move through the forest, they create natural clearings that allow sunlight to penetrate the canopy, fostering new growth.
Yet challenges remain. Incidents of intrusions are still reported, like a case where a baby elephant wandered into a house in Kalabakan, Tawau, searching for food and water.
But Yee and his team remain committed to their vision."We need long-term support from all parties, namely the government, NGOs and local communities,' he added.
ELEPHANT PASTURE
Meanwhile, in Lahad Datu, another similar grass-planting initiative has taken root - the 33-ha Malambabula elephant pasture, a project that is as ambitious as it is necessary.
Initiated by Borneo Rhino Alliance (BORA) and funded by The Hornbill Award of Climate Governance Malaysia, with plantation industry player Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd providing assistance in kind, the project got going in August 2021.
The success behind this initiative lies in its simplicity: create an "all-you-can-eat buffet' in elephant habitats, which the tuskers will find more appealing than the neighbouring oil palm plantations.
"Buffet', in this case, consists of tall, lush grasses, mostly Napier and a couple of other varieties.
According to the observations of NGOs involved in planting Napier grass as an alternative food source for wild elephants, the animals have shown a particular fondness for Napier grass, especially just before it begins to flower - about a month after planting.
The grass remains their preferred food until the third month when the stems are tender, juicy and sweet.
Its height of less than two metres also makes it accessible to baby elephants.By the fourth month, the stems become harder and less sweet, making the grass less appealing to elephants. But the beauty of it is, the grass grows back again profusely after they have been consumed.
BORA programme director Dr Zainal Zahari Zainuddin said the Malambabula pasture project architects have thought of everything these creatures need. There is ample fresh water flowing from the Malambabula River. There is even an artificial salt lick, complete with all the essential nutrients their massive bodies require.
The results? While initial visits to the project site were sporadic, the breakthrough came in June 2023 when a herd of 70 elephants showed up for an "extended feast'.
They consumed about 20 tonnes of grass - six days without any incident of human-elephant conflict in the area.
Interestingly, these elephants have developed their own eating schedule. They seek refuge in the forest during daylight hours, emerging for their evening meal around dusk and continuing until dawn.
To the project initiators, the Malambabula elephant pasture represents more than just a feeding programme - it is a blueprint for coexistence.
"That's all we want. Even if the elephants stay in our area (elephant pasture) for just two days, that's two days of not disturbing people or entering plantations.
"Recently, they stayed there for three weeks… it was a bonus for us. But now they've moved to the far end of the pasture,' Zainal said, smiling.
"They might return (to our pasture) at the end of the year but we have to accept that we can't control these animals - they decide. What we're trying to capture is the attention of the young ones. If you look at the videos (of them grazing on the pasture), you can see the young elephants are happy here.'
WORTHWHILE
He said watching the playful antics of the calves makes the entire pasture experiment feel worthwhile.
"You should see these baby elephants out here - pure joy, pure life, discovering this sacred space we've carved out for them. It's beautiful, raw and real,' he said.
"We want them to remember… just like how I still remember my late father taking me to play by the beach, we want these young elephants to carry these memories into adulthood. So when they grow up, they'll lead their own herds back here, just like their mothers did before.'
The team managing the pasture studies every elephant visit and feeding pattern, learning their habits and subtle preferences.
Most people may not realise this but elephants are complex social creatures with intricate family dynamics. The matriarch, wise and watchful, leads her family through their daily feeding ritual.
But while the adults can handle the tough, tall grass, the calves need something more tender and manageable.
"These giants are incredibly attentive parents,' Zainal said. "If the little ones can't eat, the whole herd moves, searching for more suitable feeding grounds. No questions asked. It's all or nothing with them.'
This insight has revolutionised how BORA manages the grass at the elephant pasture. To ensure the entire herd gets to eat, young Napier grassis also made available so that the calves can eat too.
OIL PALM
With Sabah having the second-largest oil palm cultivation in Malaysia after Sarawak, how is the industry stepping up to help reduce human-elephant conflict?
How does the state strike a balance between conserving the environment and boosting its palm oil industry? A crucial step taken in this direction is the implementation of the Jurisdictional Certification of Sustainable Palm Oil (JCSPO) and the establishment of the Jurisdictional Certification Steering Committee (JCSC) in 2016.
Central to JCSPO is the jurisdictional approach, seeking wider commitments from stakeholders to sustainable palm oil practices state-wide.
The approach also seeks to align interests and coordinate the actions of the government, businesses, local communities and non-governmental organisations toward shared conservation, supply chain sustainability and green development goals to bring about a sustainable palm oil industry.
Sabah chief forest conservator Datuk Frederick Kugan told Bernama it is not just about sustainable palm oil - "it's about reimagining how we can coexist with nature'.
"We need to think bigger,' he continued, gesturing at the vast landscape beyond his office window. "This isn't just about protecting a few patches of forest or managing a few herds of elephants. It's about creating a new model where both nature and industry can thrive.'
RESPECT guide Sharon, meanwhile, believes they are on the right track towards mitigating human-elephant conflict.
"But we need more people to join in (the efforts), we need a lot more help to protect them (elephants),' he added. - BERNAMA