Palm oil grown in Sumatra is exported to the West and used widely in cosmetics and food products. It is often labelled as vegetable oil or sodium lauryl sulphate in soap.

But thousands of miles away a deadly price is being paid for the cultivation of this cheap ingredient.

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Liquid Ivory

Spanning 2.2 million hectares, the Leuser (pronounced loi sser ) ecosystem is regarded as the most biodiverse forest in South East Asia. 

And it is the only place in the world where tigers, rhinos, orangutans and elephants live in the wild.

We traveled to the heart of this unique ecosystem, that is supposed to be protected under Indonesian law. 

Just one week earlier, this was pristine forest. 

The area has been illegally logged and palm oil has been planted in its place. 

By night, timber trucks, controlled by armed gangs, roll out of the freshly planted palm oil concessions. 

Dead elephant

The body of an elephant lies rotting on the forest floor.

In recent years, deforestation has forced elephants from their natural habitat into close proximity with humans.

The elephant, killed by rat poison, is the latest victim of a growing conflict between Sumatra's people and its critically endangered elephants.

Interview (subtitles)

The conflict has risks, not just to the community, but also to the elephants involved.

There have been many elephants killed and poisoned because of the conflict.

Raja

Driven by frustration at having their crops trampled, this community chained up a baby elephant found trapped in a farmer's field. 

Away from its mother and without expert care, the calf stood little chance of survival, and died days later.

Interview (subtitles)

We are angry when elephants destroy the fields because sometimes we wait many years to harvest.

The elephants had already come once and destroyed the fields.

We planted again, then just before harvest they are destroyed again.

Conflicts between people and elephants have become increasingly common, destroying livelihoods and claiming lives.  

Interview (subtitles)

One of our people was killed when an elephant trampled him. He was trying to chase the elephant away and it killed him.

For years, government policy dictated that elephants straying from the forests into agricultural plantations should be incarcerated in government run camps. 

Forcibly taken from their herd, these elephants now face a lifetime of captivity.

Despite the best efforts of government employees at the camps, the issue of what to do with these so called problem elephants remains largely unresolved. 

In recent years conservationists have retrained some elephants to be used in forest patrols. 

These patrols are an attempt to reduce conflicts by driving wild herds back into the forests.

Interview (subtitles)

We hope this unit is part of the solution. We hope we can prevent or at least deter people's actions that could lead to the elephants' extinction.

But conservationists stress that unless the clear-felling of elephant habitat stops, such schemes stand little chance of helping wild elephants survive in the long term.

Flood footage

Wide-scale deforestation is killing people as well as wildlife.

 In 2006, a series of floods wreaked havoc in villages across the Leuser area, killing dozens. 

Experts believe extensive logging in the surrounding hills caused the floods.

Interview (subtitles)

The terrible flash floods of 2006 left the

people of Aceh traumatized.

At that time this area was not opened up yet and was still forest.

Today the forest area has been opened up. We are very worried about this.

Interview

The Sumatran elephant right now is in very very bad shape. It's on the verge of extinction actually and the best hope to conserve the Sumatran elephant is actually to conserve the ones in Aceh because that's where the biggest populations are. So in order to conserve the elephants we've got to conserve those lowland rain forests, which means conserving Leuser.

Armed with information from the air, conservationists and local communities are fighting back against the palm plantations. 

Working alongside local rangers, Graham Usher has been flying a drone to map areas of deforestation.

Graham Usher -interview

Collection of evidence provides us with a much stronger case when you go to decision makers and say "look, this is what's going on, these are your laws, why isn't action being taken?".

Communities

These villagers are cutting down illegally-planted palm oil trees in an attempt to turn the land back into forest.

However, the governor of Aceh could soon approve a plan which will open up vast new areas of forest for exploitation, deepening the struggle between communities and elephants.

Until the impacts of palm oil consumption are properly addressed, the days of the Sumatran elephants and the rich forests they depend on, are numbered.

Interview (subtitles)

If we continue to use products made from palm oil, it means that we are supporting the destruction of the forests in Indonesia, specifically in Aceh.

Interview

We are talking about a death blow to that population which is just so important that the worlds eyes are on right now. It's their final stronghold. If that goes, say goodbye.

Graham Usher -interview

If we don't take urgent action, a few years down the road we will be looking at the Leuser ecosystem and saying "my god, why didn't we do more when we had the chance".

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The Indonesian Government declined the opportunity to comment on camera in this film.

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The Ecologist Film Unit would like to thank the following oganisations for their generous support:

THE WOOD TIGER FUND

THE SHARED EARTH FOUNDATION

The Ecologist Film UNit is also grateful to:

ELEPHANT FAMILY www.elephantfamily.org

and

Carlos Quiles www.carlosquilesfoto.com

ECOLOGIST FILM UNIT