Indonesia recovers elephant corridor land from palm oil plantations
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In Bengkulu province, Indonesia, a joint team from the Forestry Ministry and other agencies reclaimed 300 hectares of land within a critical elephant corridor.
From September 10 to 16, the team removed 627 oil palm trees and 22 work huts built on the land. They also put up 11 signs prohibiting further encroachment and found landmines and potentially dangerous chemicals along a path used by Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus).
The operation, part of the ongoing Merah Putih Joint Operation in the Seblat Landscape since 2025, seeks to prevent future occupation of the reclaimed area. Authorities are investigating who controlled the land and placed the dangerous materials. Dwi Januanto Nugroho, Director General of Law Enforcement at the ministry, stated that protecting the landscape requires both enforcement and efforts to restore the forest’s ecosystem. In 2025 alone, similar operations recovered 8,200 hectares of forest land in the area.
