Page 7 - Management Digest Udyama Vol 1 issue 2

The Asian Elephant (Elephas
maximus maximus) in Sri Lanka
is the most prominent symbol of
conservation as a ‘true flagship
species’. But the Human-
elephant conflict (HEC) is one
of the biggest environmental and
socio-economic crises of rural
Sri Lanka. The intensification
of HEC in recent times has been
due primarily to the cumulative
impact of the increase in
human population, especially
around the forest fringes,
and the concomitant loss and
fragmentation of habitats of Asian
elephants. The establishment of
human settlements in wildlife
habitats or corridors (i.e., elephant
migration routes) is one of
the major causes of HEC. The
corridors are the connecting
paths of protected areas in which
preferable habitats, mainly water
and food sources, are available.
In the HEC reported areas,
it is not unusual to see land
encroachments including illegally
cultivated areas and human
settlements. It is also not unusual
to see school children as well as
men and women either walking
or traveling on bicycles while
elephants are present. Hence, they
harass the elephants to scare them
away whereas such behavior only
makes elephants more aggressive
rather than making them scared of
people.

In the year 2020, alone, three
hundred and seventy-six elephant
deaths were reported in Sri Lanka
while 113 people died due to
elephant attacks, mostly in their
own villages and fields. Further,
according to records available,
annually elephants cause over
USD 10 million in crop and
property damage.

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