Club5050 || I Visited the Ecotourism Elephant : Conservation Response Unit (CRU) in Aceh Province

Good Evening to my country time to all Travelers. I hope you are always in good health and hopefully you can share good stories and help others.

Aceh is one of the provinces that is very important in conservation efforts and becomes one of the focuses of forest conservation activities because if we look at the whole of Sumatra in indonesia, only Aceh has the largest natural forest cover.

Some time ago I visited the Sumatran elephant conservation area. The place is named the Conservation Response Unit (CRU) DAS Peusangan. I traveled here with 3 of my friends. We were welcomed by the team here. We had a long discussion about conservation.

let me explain briefly what is CRU?

The extent of forest clearing also has an impact on the destruction of animal habitats, including the habitat of the Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus). Since 2005 until now, the conflict between Sumatran elephants and humans has continued. victims cannot be avoided, both from the community and elephants who are killed, either by traps or poison.

The high conflict between elephants and humans and the number of elephants being killed is increasing, making a number of parties such as the Aceh Conservation and Natural Resources Center (BKSDA), Aceh Provincial Forestry Service and Aceh Regency Government assisted by the Fauna and Flora International Program (FFI) aceh agreed to form a Conservation Response Unit (CRU).

The presence of the Conservation Response Unit (CRU) is based on balance and harmony between human and animal life. This will all be achieved if the implemented conservation strategy is successful.

The concept of this CRU is to use captive elephants and their handlers to be directly involved in field-based conservation. This is to support the conservation of wild elephants and their habitat.

with the presence of this CRU ensures that these elephants are seen as important resources and take positive action, also the presence of the CRU for local communities, decision makers, and other stakeholders will recognize their contribution and then pay more attention protection of Sumatran elephant, in the future.

Conservation Response Unit (CRU) has 4 main objectives:

1. Sumatran elephant conflict mitigation
2. Conduct forest patrols and monitoring to reduce crime activities against wildlife in elephant habitat.
3. increase awareness and involvement of the community on the importance of conserving elephants and their habitat
4. build community-based environmental ecotourism to ensure the sustainability of conservation education and support long-term CRU cash inflows.

Within their ranges Elephants play an important role by providing transportation during forest monitoring patrols, then as a means to attract local community interest during awareness events, and repel wild elephants in the event of a conflict incident.

Then the other most important part of the CRU is the handler. Mahouts, as part of the CRU team, not only takes care of the elephants, but is also actively involved in all CRU activities. This mahout has received training in wildlife observation techniques and the basic use of navigation and mapping tools.

The location of the CRU DAS Peusangan is the administrative area of ​​Bener Meriah. more precisely in Negeri Antara, Pintu Rime Gayo, Bener Meriah Regency, Aceh 24264 with coordinates 4.9498074 North Latitude, 96.6776544 East Longitude

Now this place has become an ecotourism visited by local people every weekend.

Special Thanks To
@papi.mati
@willeusz
@ponpase
@udyliciouz