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Buffering the Wild: Can Agroforestry Solve Human-Animal Conflicts?
An eight-year-old girl injured in a wild elephant attack in West Rumbai subdistrict, Pekanbaru, Riau, Indonesia, a few months ago has died after three days of treatment at a local hospital. The subdistrict borders the elephant’s natural habitat. A similar attack also happened in early August, 2025 when a farmer in Bengkalis, Riau, Indonesia was trampled to death by a wild Sumatran elephant while trying to drive it away from her field at night. The incident shocked local communities. Just months earlier, in June, a plantation worker was killed by a Sumatran tiger in the Kerumutan forest area, Riau. He was found dead with severe wounds to his neck, chest and back, believed to be caused by bites and scratches from the tiger. However, there have also been many cases where animals have become victims. In April 2025, the carcass of a young elephant was discovered in a palm oil plantation bordering Mount Leuser National Park. Investigators found an infected wound on its leg and are probing whether poisoning was involved. A similar incident occurred in October 2024, when a wild Sumatran elephant was found dead in the forest of Way Kambas National Park in Lampung. This was the third...