• Urge holistic approach based on elephant movements, fragmented habitats, land use

Regarding reports that the Government is considering gazetting four elephant corridors in the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Districts as a measure to alleviate human-elephant conflicts (HEC), environmentalists noted that given the complex nature of elephant corridors in Sri Lanka, such a move cannot be expected to yield significant results unless a holistic approach regarding such corridors is adopted.

They stressed that the factors related to elephant movement and habitats should also be taken into account in this process.

The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society’s Human-Elephant Coexistence Subcommittee Chairperson Supun Lahiru Prakash explained that elephant corridors in the broader context of the human-elephant conflict are not just about designation or access, but also about understanding how they connect to other aspects of the issue in Sri Lanka. He told The Daily Morning that around 40% of elephants in Sri Lanka live outside protected areas, and that both their habitats and human land use are fragmented. He noted that these realities make it difficult to designate elephant corridors in a straightforward manner and that simply connecting protected areas with corridors would not be effective. 

“A holistic approach is what we need,” Prakash stressed, adding that although such an approach was proposed through the National Action Plan for the Mitigation of the Human-Elephant Conflict submitted to the then Government in 2020, a Presidential Task Force is yet to be appointed to implement the plan. He added that while several rounds of discussions have been held with the current administration, the results are yet to be seen.

Reports suggest that around 16 elephant corridors had been identified by the authorities in 2014.