Sumatra: Conservation Exploration

This is a trip to the Way Kambas Nature Conservatory, where elephants, rhinos, and many other species are protected.  In fact, our visit is a special one because the general public is not allowed there anymore.  The park only allows groups for education, journalism, and photography, and very small groups at that.   The park also has a large rhino conservation area that is completely private - the locations of the animals is top secret. 

This trip will cover a type of conservation particular to this area - the elephants are domesticated in order to protect the wild elephants that are living in the park.  So, students will explore the idea between keeping some elephants as helpers in order to serve the larger population of elephants as well as the larger community of farmers and villagers in the area.  Without the tourism, how have they managed to act together to protect the creatures in the area?  

This trip will include:
- Hiking and trekking through the savannah to places where the elephant caretakers and park rangers work.
- Bird and animal watching on a small boat through a small river.
- Interviews and communication with local villagers.
- An eco-printing craft activity.
- A night hike to listen to the sounds of the forest and (hopefully) find the slow loris in its habitat. 

This is the first time this trip has been run at JIS, so we have a small group going.  There is no swimming, just seeing the wonderful savannah ecosystemsand their flora and fauna. 

Curricular Connections 

Students on the Sumatra trip have a unique opportunity to explore very different ecosystems and interact with completely unique flora and fauna from the other 8th grade trips. They will explore different types of grassland areas, river ecosystems and also learn all about how elephants fit into and interact with each of these important areas. They will the potential biodiversity protecting techniques being employed by the park, and collect data to help determine if they are working. They will have a chance to collect data and discuss elephant life and care directly with the mahouts that work with the reserve. There will also be opportunities to gain unique insight into how a protected land and the animals/plants it includes changes when closed off from the public as Way Kambas has been for the past few years. What impacts did people/tourists have on the ecosystem?