KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Forestry Department is leading a multi-stakeholder effort to plant and manage grasslands as alternative food source to keep elephants away from plantations and villages in Lahad Datu’s Tabin area.
The department, in collaboration with the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), conservation NGO Bora and WWF-Malaysia, has brought together government agencies, communities and plantation representatives adjacent to the Tabin Wildlife Reserve to support efforts to improve habitat conditions for wild elephants and manage human-wildlife conflict.
SWD director Mohd Soffian Abu Bakar said there are currently an estimated 200 to 250 Bornean elephants in the reserve.
"This endemic subspecies faces ongoing threats including habitat fragmentation, conflict with humans, and poaching.
"In this landscape, the risks associated with human-elephant conflict, including potential retaliatory actions, remain a serious concern," he said after the stakeholders' meeting here on Friday (May 22).
It was prompted by a recent incident in the Bagahak 2 Plantation in Lahad Datu where a senior citizen was killed after being attacked by a wild elephant.
"Addressing human-elephant conflict requires collaboration across agencies, plantation owners, and communities," Soffian said.
"We must work together to implement solutions that protect and benefit both people and wildlife.
"Today’s grass planting initiative represents one of the key action points for the Tabin Managed Elephant Range, as outlined in the Bornean Elephant Action Plan for Sabah 2020-2029."
Bora had earlier piloted a grassland initiative in the Tabin reserve with the aim to reduce the frequency of elephants entering plantations and community lands to forage.
"Addressing human-elephant conflict requires us to rethink how landscapes are managed," said Bora programme director Dr Zainal Zahari Zainuddin.
"Elephants enter oil palm plantations and villages for one simple reason: food.
"A long-term solution must ensure that food sources are adequate, reliable, accessible and safe.
"Managed grasslands directly address this need by offering a strong alternative to oil palms," he said, adding that grasslands have no natural plant toxins and can regenerate after elephants feed on them.
Protect pillar lead of WWF-Malaysia's Sabah Landscapes Programme Chery Cheah said that human-elephant conflict remains one of the most pressing conservation challenges in Sabah.
"While there is no single solution, efforts to improve habitat quality and ensure the availability of natural food sources within designated areas form part of a broader landscape approach that supports coexistence," added Cheah, an elephant specialist.
Regional forestry officer Mohd Arapa Lamuda, representing the chief conservator of Sabah Forests, said that to achieve long-term impact, the efforts need to be scaled across the wider Tabin Landscape, with continued participation from plantations neighbouring the Reserve.
He said the department remains committed to the Sabah Forest Policy 2018 to ensure that all forest types, ecosystems and their biodiversity are protected, including endangered species such as the Bornean elephant, while enriching the integrity and connectivity of habitats.
He also thanked plantation partners including Ladang Permai, MPOB, KLK, Sawit Kinabalu, FGV and FELDA for supporting this initiative.
