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LIVING WITH SUMATRAN ELEPHANTSSubject Area: Science

Grade Levels: Part 1: 5-10 Part 2: 8-10

Purpose and Overview: This lesson plan is divided into two parts. Part 1 introduces students to the role of elephants as ecosystem engineers in the Sumatran rainforest. Part 2 allows students to explore the island of Sumatra using Google Earth maps and to investigate the ranges of key species on the island, determine areas of human impact, and propose conservation solutions.

Time: Part 1: One 45-minute class period Part 2: One to two 45-minute class periods

Introduction:Sumatra is the world’s sixth largest island and is part of the country of Indonesia. It is located in Southeast Asia, right on the equator. The island is a biodiversity hotspot and is home to a wide variety of tropical plants and animals. Orangutans, Sumatran elephants, Sumatran tigers, and Sumatran rhinos are some of the animals that call this island home; with the exception of orangutans these animals don’t exist anywhere else in the wild. Orangutans are only found on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. There is also a wide variety of herbivores including the sambar, muntjac, and mouse deer. The Malayan tapir is another unique animal found on the island and is close to extinction with no more than 50 animals left in the wild. Turtles, tortoises, and a wide variety of snakes and lizards also inhabit the islands. Other mammals that can be found on the island include the slow loris, several leaf monkey species, long-tailed and pig-tailed Macaques, civets, sun bears, and the clouded leopard. Over 580 bird species can be found on Sumatra, of which 465 are residents. Some of the protected areas on the island are home to an estimated 10,000 plant species. The island is also home to the world’s largest flower, a parasitic flowering plant called Rafflesia.

1 | T e a c h e r G u i d e – L i v i n g w i t h S u m a t r a n E l e p h a n t s

Sumatran ElephantsPhoto credit: Vincent Raal, 2009 via Flickr














Development of the island has brought humans and wild elephants closer together, which is an increasing source of conflict. Sumatran elephants are now critically endangered, with deforestation being the primary reason for the decline in population. Prime elephant habitat is being converted to plantations for palm oil. Additionally, many elephant populations exist outside of protected areas, so there is a high level of conflict with humans. According to a 2012 article in the Guardian, Sumatra has lost 2/3 of its natural lowland forest, which is elephant habitat, in the last 25 years. The current rate of deforestation is about 2.5% of the forest per year.


http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jan/24/sumatran-elephant-upgraded-critically-endangered

The map below produced by World Wildlife Federation, Eyes on the Forest, and Google Earth Outreach depicts the 2007 Sumatran Elephant ranges layered over the 2012 natural forest areas. The areas of elephant range are enclosed with a bright blue line and the natural forest areas are dark and light green. The red areas represent peat soil without natural forest. From this image it is clear where the elephant range extends beyond their natural forest habitat and where conflict with humans is likely. During Part 2 of this lesson plan, students will explore these satellite images in more detail.

The “Living with Sumatran Elephants” video explores one method that is being used

to curb elephant and human conflict, which protects both the wild elephant and the humans who depend on agricultural products for their livelihood.

Vocabulary:

Ecosystem engineer: any organism that creates, maintains, modifies, or even destroys a habitat. Both humans and elephants are ecosystem engineers.

Peat: a brown, soil-like material that consists of partly decomposed plant material and is often found in boggy areas.


https://vimeo.com/116273243

Part 1: Elephants as Ecosystem EngineersGrades: 5-10

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to introduce students to the role of elephants as ecosystem engineers in the Sumatran rainforest.

Time: One 45-minute class period

Materials: Teacher - LCD projector, computer, internet Video: Living with Sumatran Elephants | EARTH A New Wild

URL: https://vimeo.com/116273243 Copies of student worksheet – “Part 1: Elephants as Ecosystem Engineers”

(located at the end of this document)

Objectives:The student will…

Describe the elephants’ role as ecosystem engineers in a tropical rainforest. Explain the consequences to the ecosystem (and humans) if elephants were

removed from the system.

Next Generation Science Standards:Disciplinary Core Ideas LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems LS2C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience

Performance ExpectationsMiddle School MS-LS2-2. Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among

organisms across multiple ecosystems.

High School HS-LS2-6. Evaluate the claims, evidence and reasoning that the complex interactions

in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.

Suggested Flow:1. Distribute the “Part 1: Elephants as Ecosystem Engineers” worksheet to

students or have students copy the questions and graphic organizer below to complete while they view the video.

2. Show the video “Living with Sumatran Elephants | EARTH A New Wild” (5:10 min).


https://vimeo.com/116273243

3. Part 1: Elephants as Ecosystem Engineers Student Worksheet – Teacher Answer Key1. View the video “Living with Sumatran Elephants | EARTH A New Wild” and

answer the questions below while you are watching the video. Video URL: https://vimeo.com/116273243

a. What do elephants eat?Answer: they are herbivores and they eat bushes, leaves, twigs, trees, fruitsb. How much can elephants eat?Answer: 300 pounds of vegetation in 16 hoursc. What is an ecosystem engineer?Answer: An ecosystem engineer is something that modifies its environment. For example, elephants create and maintain the rainforest by creating gaps in the canopy, which helps light get through to plants below. They are “engineering” the ecosystem through their behavior.d. What would happen to the tropical rainforest if elephants disappeared?Answer: About 30% of island tree species would disappear. Other organisms that live in the rainforest would be impacted through loss of habitat or food source.e. Are elephants the only ecosystem engineers?Answer: Humans are ecosystem engineers too. We cut down trees for timber and agriculture. Humans grow palm, corn, and coffee – not native rainforest trees.f. What is the central conflict between humans and elephants?Answer: Elephants eat crops that humans plant. They can destroy a family’s income and trample buildings.g. What is one way that humans are minimizing the conflict between

elephants and humans?Answer: They are using specially trained, domesticated elephants called elephant flying squads to scare away the wild elephants.


2. Have students draw the chart below in their notebooks (or use the accompanying student worksheet) and fill in the boxes. The answer key is

to the right.

3. Have a discussion with students about the role of elephants in the ecosystem and how a healthy forest benefits humans too. Ask students to brainstorm the functions of a healthy forest. Remember, ecosystem services are ways that a healthy ecosystem contributes to human lives.

Healthy forests contribute the following ecosystem services: o Increase biodiversityo Help filter watero Provide native food sourceso Slow the movement of water to prevent floodingo In biodiversity hotspots like the Sumatran rainforest, the forest can

also be a source of medicines for people

4. Optional extension: If you would like students to read a scientific journal article that is related to the ways that elephants are ecosystem engineers,


This leads to…

This helps…

Things that Elephants do to Engineer the

This leads to…

This helps…

Answer: Greater forest diversity, increased forest health

Answer: To spread seeds to different parts of the forest, makes forest fuller

Answer: To create gaps in forest canopy and lets in light for seedlings

Answer: Eat a lot of vegetation and defecate seeds

Answer: Knock over trees and stomp around

Things that Elephants do to Engineer the

direct them to “Elephants as Agents of Habitat Creation for Small Vertebrates at the Patch Scale” by Robert M. Pringle.

URL: http://www.esajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1890/07-0776.1


http://www.esajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1890/07-0776.1

Part 2: Exploring Animal Habitat on Sumatra with Google EarthGrades: 8-10

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is for students to examine the island habitats on Sumatra using Google Earth and to investigate the ranges of key species on the island. Students will also determine areas of human impact and propose conservation solutions.

Time: One to two 45-minute class periods

Materials: Computer access for each student or pairs of students Internet access Copies of the student worksheet – “Part 2: Exploring Animal Habitat on

Sumatra with Google Earth” (located at the end of this document) Optional: Google Earth (free) installed on computers

Objectives:The student will…

Utilize Google Earth to examine and analyze the range of key species on the island of Sumatra.

Quantify how much natural forest cover exists on the island. Describe how natural forest cover relates to an animal’s range. Identify potential areas of human conflict with species because of range

overlaps. Compare and contrast the ranges of different species and relate the range to

forest cover. Identify the locations of protected areas. Propose conservation solutions to provide more habitats for threatened

species. Describe the constraints or barriers to conservation.

Next Generation Science Standards:Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

Performance Expectations MS-LS2-5. Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and

ecosystem services

Science and Engineering Practices


Analyzing and Interpreting Data Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Engaging in Argument from Evidence


Suggested Flow:1. Go to the Google Earth Eyes on the Forest Map (created by WWF-Indonesia

and, Eyes on the Forest, and Google Earth Outreach) and give a quick overview of the website to students. URL: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zDvPoWvBLDC0.kpSFfo_Qd6_c&hl=en

2. Give students the worksheet entitled “Part 2 - Exploring Animal Habitat on Sumatra with Google Earth” and let them work through the activity. The instructions and answer key are below.

Exploring Animal Habitat on Sumatra with Google Earth – Teacher Answer Key

1. Go to the Google Earth Eyes on the Forest Map (created by WWF-Indonesia and, Eyes on the Forest, and Google Earth Outreach). URL: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zDvPoWvBLDC0.kpSFfo_Qd6_c&hl=en

2. In the control box on the top left, uncheck all of the boxes EXCEPT the 2012 Natural Forest and Peat Carbon. The dark green represents peat soil with natural forest, the light green represents mineral soil with natural forest, and the red represents areas of peat soil without natural forest.

3. To explore what these areas look like, you can click on the dark green, light green, or red areas and a photograph of that land type will appear. Alternatively, uncheck the 2012 Natural Forest and Peat Carbon box and then zoom into the map by scrolling your mouse wheel or clicking the + at the bottom right of the screen. Spend some time exploring the island of Sumatra using this tool.

4. After you are done exploring, turn the forest layer back on (check the box) and characterize how much forest is left on the island. Try to quantify how much of the land cover is still natural forest (greater than 50%? Less than 50%?). Answer: Less than 25% natural forest cover.

5. Now turn the 2007 Elephant Range on by checking the appropriate box. How does the elephant range relate to the areas of forest cover? Does it appear


https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zDvPoWvBLDC0.kpSFfo_Qd6_c&hl=en


https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zDvPoWvBLDC0.kpSFfo_Qd6_c&hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zDvPoWvBLDC0.kpSFfo_Qd6_c&hl=en

that elephants have a lot of land available to them or is it patchy and spread out? By clicking in any areas enclosed by the blue line, indicating the elephant range, you can see the name of the particular population that inhabits an area and its population size (in 2007). Answer: The elephant ranges are very spread out and don’t necessarily correspond to areas of natural forest. It doesn’t seem like the elephants have a long corridor that connects the different habitats.


6. Find the areas where you feel there might be a lot of elephant and human contact. Take a screen shot of an area and cut and paste it into your answer below (use PrtScn and then Ctrl + c to copy, then ctrl + p to paste). Describe why you feel that there would be conflicts between humans and elephants in this area. Be sure to click on the range and find the name of the population and if applicable, find the estimated population size and include that in your answer.

Answer: The elephants in population Tesso Ultara (population size unknown) that have the range in this screenshot have very little natural forest cover, which is their preferred habitat. Additionally, the patches of natural forest that do remain are in a patchwork and aren’t really connected to each other. Southwest from the elephants’ range, there is a lot of human development that is right up to the edge of the elephants’ range. This is also true of the area directly north of the population.

7. Now try turning on different layers like the 2010 Tiger Range, the 2011 Orangutan Range, and the 2007 Rhino Range. Are there any similarities between these ranges and the elephant range? Are there any differences?Answer: The tiger range does overlap somewhat with the elephants, but their range covers more area than the elephants and it also aligns more closely with where there is natural forest. In some cases the elephants’ range falls outside of the natural forested areas.

In the southern part of Sumatra, the orangutans overlap with the elephant range to a small extent. In the northern part of Sumatra, there is a much larger range that overlaps with the natural forested areas. In the far south there is little to no natural forest and no orangutans.


In the far northern part of the island the rhino and elephant ranges overlap somewhat and also correspond to areas of natural forest. There are no rhinos in the middle part of the island and a very small range in the far south. These populations in the far south exist in forested areas, whereas the elephant populations in the south live somewhat outside of the naturally forested areas.


8. Based on what you observed about the ranges of some of the mammals on this map, what do you think might happen to the animals if humans continue to encroach upon their habitats? In the video, you observed that the Elephant Flying squad was used to help keep the wild elephants off of agricultural lands. Do you think this is a viable long-term solution? Why or why not?Answer: The use of the Elephant Flying Squad is not a long term solution. This helps to reduce conflict between elephants and humans in agricultural or human developed areas. However, if human encroachment on elephant habitat continues, the conflicts will increase because elephants will have a smaller range. A long-term solution would be to ensure that encroachment doesn’t continue and that elephant habitat is protected and even expanded.

9. In the bottom left corner of the screen, click “map” to turn from satellite view to map view. Turn off all of the layers. Look for areas on the map that are national parks. In the map view, they appear as a yellow-green area with a tree icon next to the name like in the example to the right.

10.Try to find these parks and protected areas on your map. It may be helpful to zoom in or out to see the locations.

Gunung Leuser NP Kebun Raya Katingan Taman Nasional Tesso Nilo Taman Nasional Kerinci Seblat Kebun Raya Solok Taman Nasional Bukit Tiga

Puluh

Kebun Raya Jambi Taman Nasional Berbak Taman Nasional Sembilang Taman Nasional Bukit Barisan

Selatan Taman Nasional Way Kamba

11.Turn the 2012 Natural Forest area layer back on. Do the protected areas you found in step 11 overlap the Natural Forest areas? Explain.Answer: They overlap somewhat. Sometimes parts of the protected areas don’t include natural forest. There are also forested areas that are in unprotected areas of Sumatra.

12.Turn the 2012 Natural Forest layer off and turn on the tiger, elephant, orangutan, and rhino ranges one at a time. Do the animals live in the protected areas only or a mixture of protected areas and unprotected areas? Are there some animals more than others whose ranges seem to be very limited to protected areas only? If so, which ones? Are there some animals whose ranges exist mostly outside of the protected areas?Answer:


Rhinos are in protected areas – especially in the south. Orangutans exist more or less outside of protected areas all together,

except for Tasman Nasional Bukit Tiga Puluh. Elephants are a mixture of protected and unprotected areas. But more

so in unprotected areas that are both forested and unforested. Tigers are in a mixture of protected and unprotected areas, more so in

unprotected areas, but always in forested areas.


13.Based on what you have observed about the habitat ranges and the protected areas, do you feel that there are enough protected areas for tigers, elephants, orangutans, and rhinos?Answer: Answers may vary, but most likely students will respond that they don’t feel there is enough protected area based on the current ranges and how they extend beyond protected areas.

14.Elephants need a lot of space and need to be close to a freshwater source so they can drink at least once a day. If it were your job to recommend ways to provide more habitat for elephants, what would you suggest as a management strategy for helping to conserve and protect elephants? Is there something more that could be done than just adding more protected areas?Answer: Answers may vary, but students may talk about increasing protected areas and eliminating patchiness by connecting the forested areas through corridors. There could even be a buffer zone implemented between protected areas and areas where crops could be grown. Organizations could also work with farmers to make their lands more productive so they wouldn’t have to use more elephant habitat.

15.Do a quick internet search to find what might be some of the barriers to conservation on the island of Sumatra. Find at least three articles that describe some of the potential conflicts and summarize the main points below. Copy and paste the URL of your source in your answer and the follow it by a summary of the conservation issues.Answer: Will vary. The most common conflicts that students will find are human encroachment, palm oil plantations, corruption, lack of enforcement, paper and pulp mills, agricultural encroachment, etc.

For a more in depth investigation into the impacts of deforestation, oil palm plantations, pulp and paper mills, and other aspects of island of Sumatra, check out the more extensive Eyes on the Forest interactive map http://maps.eyesontheforest.org/.

Bibliography:

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. "Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra." UNESCO World Heritage Centre. UNESCO, 2004. Web. 08 Jan. 2015. <http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1167>.

Watts, Jonathan. "Sumatran Elephant Upgraded to Critically Endangered Status." The Guardian. Guardian Media Group, 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 8 Jan. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fenvironment%2F2012%2Fjan%2F24%2Fsumatran-elephant-upgraded-critically-endangered>.

World Wildlife Fund, and Mark McGinley. "Sumatran Lowland Rainforests." Sumatran Lowland Rainforests. The Encyclopedia of Earth, 8 May 2014. Web. 08 Jan. 2015. <http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/156324/>.


http://maps.eyesontheforest.org/

Standards:

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. Common Core State Standards. Washington, DC: Authors, 2010.

NGSS Lead States. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2013.


http://www.nextgenscience.org/

http://www.corestandards.org/

LIVING WITH SUMATRAN ELEPHANTSStudent Worksheet

Part 1: Elephants as Ecosystem Engineers1. View the video “Living with Sumatran Elephants | EARTH A New Wild” and

answer the questions below while you are watching the video. Video URL: https://vimeo.com/116273243

a. What do elephants eat?

b. How much can elephants eat?

c. What is an ecosystem engineer?

d. What would happen to the tropical rainforest if elephants disappeared?

e. Are elephants the only ecosystem engineers?

f. What is the central conflict between humans and elephants?

1 | S t u d e n t W o r k s h e e t – L i v i n g w i t h S u m a t r a n E l e p h a n t s , P a r t 1




















g. What is one way that humans are minimizing the conflict between elephants and humans?

2. After viewing the video, complete the graphic organizer below.


This leads to…

This helps…

Things that Elephants do to Engineer the Ecosystem

LIVING WITH SUMATRAN ELEPHANTSStudent Worksheet

Part 2: Exploring Animal Habitat on Sumatra with Google Earth

1. Go to the Google Earth Eyes on the Forest Map (created by WWF-Indonesia and, Eyes on the Forest, and Google Earth Outreach). URL: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zDvPoWvBLDC0.kpSFfo_Qd6_c&hl=en

2. In the control box on the top left, uncheck all of the boxes EXCEPT the 2012 Natural Forest and Peat Carbon. The dark green represents peat soil with natural forest; the light green represents mineral soil with natural forest and the red represents areas of peat soil without natural forest.

3. To explore what these areas look like, you can click on the dark green, light green, or red areas and a photograph of that land type will appear. Alternatively, uncheck the 2012 Natural Forest and Peat Carbon box and then zoom into the map by scrolling your mouse wheel or clicking the + at the bottom right of the screen. Spend some time exploring the island of Sumatra using this tool.

4. After you are done exploring, turn the forest layer back on (check the box) and characterize how much forest is left on the island. Try to quantify how much of the land cover (greater than 50%? Less than 50%?).

5. Now turn the 2007 Elephant Range on by checking the appropriate box. How does the elephant range relate to the areas of forest cover? Does it appear that they elephants have a lot of land available to them or is it patchy and spread out? By clicking in any areas enclosed by the blue line that indicates the elephant range, you can see the name of the particular population that inhabits an area and its population size (in 2007).




6. Find the areas where you feel that there might be a lot of elephant and human contact. Take a screen shot of an area and cut and paste or draw a sketch of the map into your answer below (use PrtScn and then Ctrl + c to copy, then ctrl + p to paste). Describe why you feel that there would be conflicts between humans and elephants in this area. Be sure to click on the range and find the name of the population and if applicable, find the estimated population size and include that in your answer.


7. Now try turning on different layers like the 2010 Tiger Range, the 2011 Orangutan Range, and the 2007 Rhino Range. Are there any similarities between these ranges and the elephant range? Are there any differences?


8. Based on what you observed about the ranges of some of the mammals on this map, what do you think might happen to the animals if humans continue to encroach upon their habitats? In the video, you observed that the Elephant Flying squad was used to help keep the wild elephants off of agricultural lands. Do you think this is a viable long-term solution? Why or why not?

9. In the bottom left corner of the screen, click “map” to turn from satellite view to map view. Turn off all of the layers. Look for areas on the map that are national parks. In the map view, they appear as a yellow-green area with a tree icon next to the name like in the example to the right.

10. Try to find these parks and protected areas on your map. It may be helpful to zoom in or out to see the locations.

Gunung Leuser NP Kebun Raya Katingan Taman Nasional Tesso Nilo Taman Nasional Kerinci

Seblat Kebun Raya Solok Taman Nasional Bukit Tiga

Puluh

Kebun Raya Jambi Taman Nasional Berbak Taman Nasional Sembilang Taman Nasional Bukit

Barisan Selatan Taman Nasional Way Kamba

11.Turn the 2012 Natural Forest area layer back on. Do the protected areas you found in step 11 overlap the Natural Forest areas? Explain.


12.Turn the 2012 Natural Forest layer off and turn on the tiger, elephant, orangutan, and rhino ranges one at a time. Do the animals live in the protected areas only or a mixture of protected areas and unprotected areas? Are there some animals more than others whose ranges seem to be very limited to protected areas only? If so, which ones? Are there some animals whose ranges exist mostly outside of the protected areas?

13.Based on what you have observed about the habitat ranges and the protected areas, do you feel that there are enough protected areas for tigers, elephants, orangutans, and rhinos?

14.Elephants need a lot of space and need to be close to a freshwater source so they can drink at least once a day. If it were your job to recommend ways to provide more habitat for elephants, what you suggest as a management strategy for helping to conserve and protect elephants? Is there something more that could be done than just adding more protected areas?


15.Do a quick internet search to find what might be some of the barriers to conservation on the island of Sumatra. Find at least three articles that describe some of the potential conflicts and summarize the main points below. Copy and paste the URL of your source in your answer and the follow it by a summary of the conservation issues.


For a more in depth investigation into the impacts of deforestation, oil palm plantations, pulp and paper mills, and other aspects of island of Sumatra, check out the more extensive Eyes on the Forest interactive map http://maps.eyesontheforest.org/.


http://maps.eyesontheforest.org/

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