Seratu Aatai promotes peaceful coexistence between people and wildlife in Malaysian Borneo through community engagement, education, and public awareness. Bornean elephants are Endangered, with only about 1,500 individuals left in the wild. Most are found in Sabah, Malaysia. The name “Seratu Aatai” is derived from lingo of the Sungai, a river tribe living along Malaysia’s Kinabatangan River. It means “solidarity.”
Major threats to Bornean elephants include habitat loss, human-elephant conflict, retaliatory killing, hunting, and poisoning. Seratu Aatai addresses these threats through community-based interventions. Seratu Aatai is building a future where elephants and people can live in harmony.
Their Honorary Wildlife Warden program acts as a way to employ local community members in conservation and human-elephant conflict reduction. They also run an environmental education program working with teachers to promote STEM curricula that include elephant conservation values.
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Bornean Elephants:
Seratu Aatai
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3,000
Community Members Educated
Improving the protection of elephants and reducing conflict by sharing educational videos at schools and in local communities.
71
Employed
Through Seratu Aatai’s alternative livelihood programs and conservation work.
150
Elephants Protected
Through Seratu Aatai’s conservation and conflict mitigation work.
Solutions in Action
Thriving Nature & Wildlife
Reducing Conflict
Our latest initiative brings the Community Honorary Wildlife Warden (CHWW) program to a community near the central Sabah managed elephant range, where elephants haven’t been seen since the 1980s. Despite this, 14 local youth have stepped up as CHWW members, gaining hands-on training in understanding elephant behavior and learning how to safely divert elephants from sensitive areas. Community Honorary Wildlife Wardens are teams in each respective village to reduce conflict.
Thriving People
Expanding Awareness & Education
In 2024, Seratu Aatai’s programs reached over 100 Humana students in Kinabatangan, introducing them to the importance of protecting elephants and coexisting with nature. This year, we are developing a specific syllabus tailored to Humana students, with the goal of expanding this knowledge to more children in the area. Our Community Honorary Wildlife Wardens (CHWW) will empower local youth to be role models and active participants in conservation and help build the capacity of communities that share space with elephants
Thriving Nature & Wildlife
Advancing Conservation Science
Seratu Aatai believes that through rigorous research, they can both expand knowledge about elephant ecology and improve the livelihoods of people who coexist with elephants. In the past, there has been no reliable information about the size of the Kinabatangan elephant population. Seratu Aatai is changing this through a range of methodologies from bioacoustics monitoring to analysis of elephant fecal samples. By better understanding elephant behaviors, Seratu Aatai can proactively improve conservation interventions.
Quote“Human-wildlife conflict is often treated as a local issue, but it is a global challenge linked to habitat loss, climate change, and unsustainable development.”
Dr Farina Othman, Founder & Executive Director Seratu Aatai
