02/20/2023
One of the amazing contributions elephants provide for the forests they depend on and live in is seed dispersal. Because they eat such a large amount of various plants throughout the jungle, they simultaneously act as a gardener by spreading the seeds(yes, by pooping) into other parts of the forest, helping the cycle of life continue.
Some people only see ivory see when they look at these beautiful creatures. Some might see them as pests; a danger to their crops, their home, their way of life. Some see them as brute strength for hard labor, or easy prey for entertainment. Money, nothing more. Some see them that way, not all, but some, and some has been enough. Enough for half the population of Sumatran elephants to have been lost in one generation. With over two thirds of their natural lowland forest habitat wiped out in the past 25 years, the Sumatran elephants are listed as critically endangered, and their future is unsettling.
Small herds like this one, confined to a small protected sanctuary, may be some of the last of their kind in your children’s lifetime. With an ever-growing human population and the expansion of mono crop agriculture such as palm oil, the forests on the island of Sumatra Indonesia are shrinking, like many other forests around the globe. As the planet loses more and more wild elephants and more and more natural forest habitat, nature’s balance and ability to thrive weakens ever more.
Help by donating to grass roots organizations like working to safeguard existing natural habitats, rescue orangutan, and regrow healthy rainforest in reclaimed land once used for palm oil production.
Shot for my project exploring the impacts of palm oil in Sumatra, the western-most island of Indonesia and the worlds largest producer of palm oil.
Sustainable prints available on my site with 3% of profits donated to conservation efforts in Peru and Sumatra.
