Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p> Human–Elephant Conflict (HEC) has emerged as one of the most critical conservation challenges in tropical landscapes, where rapid land-use change, agricultural expansion, and habitat fragmentation have intensified interactions between humans and wildlife. In the Giam Siak Kecil Elephant Landscape, Riau Province, Indonesia, the expansion of oil palm plantations, industrial forest plantations, and rural settlements has disrupted ecological connectivity, increased crop-raiding incidents, and threatened the long-term survival of the Critically Endangered Sumatran elephant ( <italic>Elephas maximus sumatranus</italic> ). This study aimed to develop a spatially explicit Elephant-Friendly Village model integrating sustainable agroforestry, ecological corridor conservation, participatory spatial planning, and community-based governance to promote long-term human–elephant coexistence. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed, combining Geographic Information System (GIS)-based spatial analysis, field observations, structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and participatory mapping conducted between July 2024 and December 2025 in five conflict-prone villages within the Giam Siak Kecil Elephant Population Pocket. Spatial analysis identified thirteen villages intersected by active elephant movement corridors and dominated by plantation-based land use, indicating extensive overlap between human activities and elephant habitat. Human–Elephant Conflict records from 2019 to 2023 documented persistent crop-raiding incidents, with annual cases ranging from 29 to 46. Socio-economic analyses identified Melibur, Tasik Betung, Lubuk Umbut, and Bencah Umbai as priority villages for conservation intervention because of their high conflict frequency and strong dependence on agriculture. The proposed Elephant-Friendly Village model integrates elephant-resistant agroforestry buffer zones, ecological corridor restoration, participatory village spatial planning, collaborative governance, environmental education, and sustainable livelihood diversification. This integrated framework offers a preventive, landscape-scale conservation strategy capable of reducing Human–Elephant Conflict, restoring habitat connectivity, strengthening community resilience, and supporting the long-term conservation of the Sumatran elephant. The model provides a scalable approach for biodiversity conservation and sustainable rural landscape management in fragmented tropical ecosystems across Indonesia and other elephant-range countries. </p>