Sungai Ara, September 27, 2024 — More than five
hundred community members including children gathered at the Dewan Masyarakat
Sungai Ara (Demasra) FELCRA Sungai Ara in Johor to participate in the World
Elephant Day Celebration yesterday. This event brought together various
stakeholders to celebrate and strengthen conservation efforts to achieve
harmonious coexistence between humans and elephants. The celebration was
organised by Earthworm Foundation, an impact-driven non-profit organisation,
and the Human-Elephant Coexistence (HEC) Committee of Sungai Ara, with support
from the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF).

Mohd Saharuddin Bin Mohd Yunus,
Chief Assistant to District Officer of Kota Tinggi, who opened the event,
emphasised the importance of collective action. “Achieving coexistence between
humans and elephants is a shared responsibility for all of us,” he stated. He
highlighted various state efforts, including regular monitoring by PERHILITAN,
the installation of road lights, and the fitting of collars on elephants to
track their movement.

For the first time, two trained elephants from the Johor Elephant Sanctuary were brought to the event, allowing community members to interact closely with these magnificent animals. “I hope this experience nurtures a sense of care for wildlife, especially Asian elephants, which are often mistakenly blamed for crop damage despite their vital role in maintaining ecosystem balance,” said Mohd Saharuddin Bin Mohd Yunus. 

Safiai Bin Mohammad, Chair of the HEC Committee of Sungai Ara, who has been farming since 1975 and has experienced numerous interactions with elephants, emphasised the need for the community to shift their perspective and mindset. “I used to see them as enemies, but now I understand that they are allies in our ecosystem.” 

According to the Peninsular Malaysia Department of Wildlife and National Parks, negative interactions between humans and elephants from 2015 to 2020 resulted in estimated economic losses of RM 30 million (approximately USD 6.4 million), primarily due to crop damage. In 2019 alone, nearly 50% of these losses, amounting to RM 14 million (about USD 2.9 million), were recorded.   

Kiah Hui Ooi, Southern Central
Forest Spine (SCFS) Landscape Coordinator and Country Representative of the
Earthworm Foundation in Malaysia, emphasised the importance of collective
action for future initiatives. “We are proud to announce that we have
successfully facilitated the establishment of the Human-Elephant Coexistence
(HEC) Committee in Sungai Ara,” she stated. This committee is the first of its
kind in Peninsular Malaysia, bringing together smallholders and large
plantation concessions.

Unfortunately, on the same day as
the event, not far from the location where the commemoration took place, an
incident of human-elephant interaction occurred in the Mersing area that
resulted in fatalities. The incident highlighted the urgency and importance of
collective action, as well as awareness raising. “Now more than ever, it is
important to explore long-term solutions, such as enriching elephant habitats
and migration routes and establishing wildlife corridors. Joint action and
collaboration among stakeholders are imperative,” added Kiah Hui Ooi.

The palm oil industry join hands with communities and stakeholders towards the human-elephant coexistence. Hairulazim Mahmud ,General Manager of MPOGCF that funded the HEC program in Sungai Ara stated, “The palm oil industry in Malaysia is committed to supporting elephant conservation efforts and achieving human-elephant coexistence. This demonstrates our dedication to environmental preservation and sustainable practices.”

The World Elephant Day event also featured a variety of educational and interactive activities, including a colouring competition for children, aimed at instilling love and curiousity for elephants. Under the theme of maintaining a legacy for future generations, this World Elephant Day not only commemorates the existence of elephants, but also raises public awareness about the importance of conservation and the hope for harmonious human-elephant coexistence. Apart from the World Elephant Day commemoration event in Johor, Earthworm Foundation and partners also held a similar event in Sabah.