Data for: Beyond Protected Areas: The importance of mixed-use landscapes for the conservation of Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus)

Elephants were once widely distributed across the Indonesian island of Sumatra but now exist in small, isolated populations. Using the best data currently available on elephant occurrence, we mapped suitable habitat for elephants on Sumatra (Elephas maximus sumatranus). We used direct sightings and indirect observations of elephant signs, as well as six remotely-sensed proxies of surface ruggedness, vegetation productivity and structure, and human land use and disturbance, to model habitat suitability in a Google Earth Engine (GEE) environment. We validated the habitat suitability prediction using an independent geolocation dataset collected from global positioning system (GPS) collars fitted on elephants, and also assessed the functional connectivity between known elephant population ranges by deriving a resistance surface for Circuitscape from this prediction. Thirty-two percent (135,646 km2) of Sumatra’s land area was predicted to be suitable habitat, with 43 patches of suitable habi..., Data Collection & Cleaning
We obtained 2,952 observations of elephant occurrence on the island of Sumatra from the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry, including the Natural Resource Conservation Agencies of South Sumatra and Jambi provinces (see Table S1 in Supporting Information). Observations were either direct sightings or indirect observations of elephant signs (i.e., dung, scrapings, footprints, trails). All observations were collected between 2011 and 2020 during elephant population surveys, park ranger patrols, or investigations of human-elephant conflict. Using high-resolution satellite imagery in Google Earth Engine (GEE), we removed potentially erroneous occurrence observations that were located on top of buildings or in large water bodies. Our remaining occurrence dataset consisted of 2,916 georeferenced locations.
Asian elephants are a generalist species and occur across a wide variety of ecosystems and habitats, from grassland savannahs to mangroves and tro...,