TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mossbrucker, Alexander Markus
A1  - Apriyana, Isabella
A1  - Fickel, Jörns
A1  - Imron, Muhammad Ali
A1  - Pudyatmoko, Satyawan
A1  - Sumardi, 
A1  - Suryadi, Helena
T1  - Non-invasive genotyping of Sumatran elephants: implications for conservation
JF  - Tropical conservation science
N2  - Reliable baseline information necessary for the monitoring and conservation of Sumatran elephants is scarce. We here combine non-invasive molecular genetics methods and capture-recapture modeling to estimate elephant population size, distribution, sex ratio, and age structure for the Bukit Tigapuluh landscape in Sumatra, Indonesia. Two separate subpopulations were found, for which we estimated a population size of 99 (95% CI = [86, 125], PCCL = 38.59%) and 44 elephants (95% CI = [37, 56], PCCL = 43.18%), respectively. Low elephant densities are likely the result of patchy habitat usage and anthropogenically increased mortality, the latter assumption being supported by strong skews in both sex ratio and age structure as well as direct evidence of elephant killing. Still, the Bukit Tigapuluh landscape currently holds the largest known population of elephants in central Sumatra, representing one of the most important areas for their conservation in Indonesia. Conservation of both the elephant population and their habitat in this region should thus be of high priority. We identified several threats to the population, including (i) the risk of inbreeding and subsequent loss of genetic diversity, (ii) illegal elephant killing, and (iii) the lack of protected habitat. In order to overcome these challenges we suggest: (i) the implementation of a meta-population management program, (ii) monitoring and safeguarding elephants and improving law enforcement, and (iii) providing sufficient safe habitat to mitigate human-elephant-conflict (HEC) and ensure elephant survival.
KW  - Elephas maximus sumatranus
KW  - capture-recapture modeling
KW  - abundance estimation
KW  - sex ratio
KW  - age structure
KW  - Bukit Tigapuluh Landscape
Y1  - 2015
SN  - 1940-0829
VL  - 8
IS  - 3
SP  - 745
EP  - 759
PB  - Mongabay.com
CY  - Menlo Park
ER  -