By: Hijrah Nasir

"Realizing Lampung as a paradise for Sumatran elephants" is the theme of this talk show. The series of activities named G-Talk, which means talk about elephants, was initiated by Rumah Konservasi Sahabat Gajah and WWF Indonesia, which presented speakers who are involved in elephant conservation in Lampung. Dra. Elly Lestari Rutiati, M.Sc. A lecturer in Biology, Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Lampung, she has long worked to assist village communities bordering Way Kambas National Park who are still in conflict with wild elephants. Also present was Ir. Wiyogo Supriyanto who is the Head of Forest Protection and Conservation Division, Lampung Province Forestry Service. WWF Indonesia, which has long worked in elephant conservation in TNBBS, was also present as a speaker represented by Beno Fariza Syahri as Management Effectiveness in Protected Area Officer WWF Indonesia - Southern Sumatra Landscape.

There was also Drs. Asrian Hadicahyana who is an economic observer in Lampung.

Elly Lestari explained about her experience in community assistance in Brajaharjosari Village, East Lampung, which is a village that often has conflicts with elephants. Groups of wild elephants sometimes forage in community gardens, triggering conflicts. To reduce community losses, the village's potential with the presence of elephants is managed into a tour package. As a result, the village has now been recognized as a tourist village that is starting to be visited by both local and foreign tourists.

As a representative of the Lampung provincial government in the field of forestry, Wiyogo Supriyanto told about the efforts that have been made by his party in protecting these endangered animals. He explained about the great role of elephants in human life. As a representative of an NGO working in the national park to protect Sumatran elephants and their habitat, WWF explained about the conditions faced by Sumatran elephants, especially in the TNBBS landscape including the threats faced and the efforts that WWF has made together with other partners.

This event is present as a medium to embrace various parties in elephant conservation efforts in Lampung. This was realized through the establishment of a joint secretariat called Rumah Konservasi Sahabat Gajah. This community is a combination of multi-stakeholders, ranging from NGOs, academics, media, artists, corporate CSR forums, wild elephant lovers community (KOPAGALI), including WWF Indonesia.

It is known that elephants, which are the icon of Lampung province, are currently experiencing various threats of extinction, either due to habitat shrinkage, the threat of poaching and illegal trade, or conflict with humans. News about elephant deaths in various regions in Sumatra has colored the mass media coverage lately. This is a big challenge in the midst of weak law enforcement taken against the perpetrators of this rare animal crime.

In addition to presenting speakers in the talk show, this event also presented hundreds of elephant-themed artworks exhibited by Lampung artists and students of SMK 5 Bandar Lampung in the form of textile art (written batik), sculpture, and silver crafts. Not to forget the photo exhibition about elephants presented by WWF Indonesia. The idea behind involving artists and vocational school students is to bring the public closer to elephant conservation through a creative approach.

"When Lampung is able to brand elephants as its icon, it will be able to become a big economic leverage with an increase in the number of tourist visits so that it will automatically raise concern from all parties to protect their existence." Said Asrian who was present as a speaker in this talkshow.

The G-Talk event also invited 20 kindergarten students to participate in a coloring competition after listening to a story about elephants presented by WWF Indonesia staff, WWF volunteers and members of Rumah Konservasi Sahabat Gajah. With enthusiasm, these children answered questions asked by the speaker.

"Why can't elephants be killed?" Hijrah Nasir, who is the communication staff of WWF Indonesia South Sumatra, asked the question which was answered boisterously by the students.

"Because it's a sin". Answered one of the students with an innocent face.

"Because elephants have an important role in nature. Every day elephants consume about 200 kilograms of food. From this food, there are seeds that will be spread on their journey that can reach 170 km2. In addition, their dung can also be a natural fertilizer for plants. Therefore, elephants have a function to care for the forest." he answered.

Introducing elephants to children is also important in order to raise their awareness of animals and their habitats from an early age. Socialization about the importance of elephants was not only delivered to kindergarten students but also to students of SMK 5 Bandar Lampung, an art school. The hope is that these students will be able to get to know elephants better and create elephant-inspired works that can support the creative economy in Lampung.

One of the local artists who participated in Rumah Konservasi Sahabat Gajah was Bambang SBY who is also the Vice Chairman of the Lampung Arts Council. He exhibited more than 30 of his works in the form of paintings with coffee media.

"Coffee and elephants are symbolic representations of Lampung. So through these works, I hope to combine these two things." he added.

TNBBS as one of the important habitats for Sumatran elephants experienced a forest decline rate of 3.04% from 2014 to 2016. This decline was caused by the conversion of forest land into plantations. This makes elephant habitat increasingly narrowed and often causes competition between elephants and humans. According to data collected by WWF Indonesia and strategic partners in TNBBS, pockets of elephant population in TNBBS currently only exist in 8 spots. This is estimated to be much less than before due to the rampant threat of poaching, encroachment, and conflict with humans. Rumah Konservasi Sahabat Gajah is expected to be a joint initiative to encourage all parties to have concern for the conservation of Sumatran elephants in Lampung.