The importance of elephant forage plants for indigenous people around the elephant corridor in Bukit Tigapuluh Landscape and the future development to support the conservation of Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus Sumatranus)

Abstract

Background: Datuk Gedang Wildlife Corridor (DGWC) has been designated as a vital area to support a conservation program for Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus Sumatranus). Indigenous Talang Mamak, Anak Dalam, and Malay people living in the area depend on natural resources to support their necessities. This study aimed to identify and to assess the importance of elephant forage plants utilized by indigenous people to evaluate potential human and elephant conflict in DGWC.

Methods: The data were collected from 41 informants through semi-structured and in-depth interviews. Research plots were installed to identify and collect elephant food plants, and the samples were sent to herbarium for identification. The importance of forage plants for indigenous people was quantitatively evaluated using the index of cultural significance (ICS) analysis.

Results: This study identified 139 plant species consumed by elephants and also utilized by the indigenous Talang Mamak, Anak Dalam, and Malay living around DGWC. Talang Mamak people mostly utilize the forage plants among the others. The ICS of the plants are categorized as follows: 2 species with very high ICS, 11 species with high ICS, and 34 species s with medium ICS, and 91 species with low ICS.

Conclusion: Indigenous people around the corridor depend of plants as sources of food, medicines, building materials, equipment, firewood, fodder, and culture which can potentially create resource of conflicts between humans and elephants. Based on the importance and the availability of the plants, this study recommended 11 species that are important to be enriched in DGWC.

Keywords: Elephant Corridor; Ethnobotany; Forage plants; Index of cultural importance (ICS); Indigenous people.