Potential food plants around salt licks for Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) in Tangkahan Conservation Response Unit (CRU) area

Abstract The habitat of elephants ( Elephas maximus-sumatranus ) naturally provides a wide variety of feed, availability of water sources, shelter and salt licks. A variety of plants can be found in salt lick locations. This study was conducted from October to December 2020, in the Tangkahan CRU area, Langkat, North Sumatra, with the aim of obtaining fundamental information about potential plant species as natural food plants in the salt licks inside of the Tangkahan CRU area. Four salt licks were Encepan 1, Encepan 2, Namocencen and hot springs followed by vegetation data analysis at the tree, pole, sapling, and seedling levels. The study recorded 24 plant species from 17 families while potential food plants were recorded for 16 species from 11 families. The most common plants found were understorey plants with a high sapling community in the location. The highest understorey IVI was Colocasia sp1 (28.03) for understorey, Aglaia sp2 (57.869) for seedling, Aglaia sp1 species (69.877) for sapling, Baccaurea sp (110.653) for pole and Shorea sp (150.918) for tree. The composition of the vegetation at the salt location, starting from the growth rate of seedlings to trees, has a positive impact on the potential and natural food plants for elephants.