The CRU teams are composed of 14 captive elephants from two ECCs (Aceh and Seblat) and 14 of their mahouts, 14 government forest rangers, and 3 conservation officers spread over three CRU posts placed in targeted working areas. The CRU project has 4 main objectives: 1) mitigating human-elephant conflict; 2) reducing wildlife crime activities in the important elephant habitat through forest patrol and monitoring; 3) raising awareness among local people of the importance of conserving elephants and their habitat; 4) establishing community-based ecotourism to ensure long-term CRU financial sustainability. Captive elephants play an important role by providing transportation during forest monitoring patrol activities, as a tool for gaining local community interest during awareness events, and driving away crop raiding wild elephants should conflict incidents arise. Mahouts, as part of the CRU team, not only take care of the elephants but are involved in all CRU activities and have gained training in wildlife observation techniques and basic use of navigation devices and mapping.

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