• Loss of access to real estate and natural habitat increases encounters between man and wildlife
• Wildlife corridors blocked due to unplanned zoning in Monaragala and Hambantota Districts

In recent times, Sri Lanka has been experiencing a surge in the number of elephant deaths and violent encounters between humans and elephants. This raises several questions on whether the conservation initiatives that the country is supposed to follow are sufficient to ensure the well-being of the elephants and the people that are forced to co-exist due to the fast loss of land accessibility for both species given the rapid development that is underway.

Last week, The Sunday Morning looked at how traditional farmers are racing to claim land for chena cultivation, having lost their cultivation space as the custodians of the land had reallocated the land to big businesses on annual leases. This week, we look at how zoning and rezoning are affecting the ecological balance in areas that have a high density of wildlife, given that large-scale development projects are underway in a bid to use underutilised lands to attract investors.

During a recent field visit to the region, The Sunday Morning was able to witness the daily plight of the residents of the Monaragala and Hambantota Districts as authorities move the people to various locations in the district to make way for rezoning. What is more pressing is that both these districts link the Udawalawe and Lunugamvehera National Parks, which are home to the highest number of elephants in the country. This raises the question of whether the fencing and demarcation of real estate is a feasible option as it directly results in wildlife movement restrictions.

Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) Executive Director Dilena Pathragoda, speaking to The Sunday Morning, said: “Despite the existing rules and regulations, the destruction of forests taking place across the country is rapidly increasing. At present, Sri Lanka loses nearly 500 hectares of tropical forests annually, with the highest amount of deforestation recorded in 2019. 

“The Monaragala District comes second among the districts that comprise a high density of biodiversity and the Wattegama-Kebilitta forest holds important ecosystems for wildlife in the semi-arid region. Legal action is underway to round up the perpetrators who continue to clear the Wattegama-Kebilitta forest, but we are now told that the clearances are taking place with political influence.”

The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) considers the region between the Udawalawe and Lunugamvehera National Parks as a sensitive area for several reasons. The area that falls through the Monaragala and Hambantota Districts’ administrative border also doubles as an elephant corridor. During our field visit, an official from the CEJ pointed out that farmer communities living in the Walsapugala area faced the brunt of the movement restrictions that resulted from unplanned development in both districts.

Increasing wildlife encounters

The Sunday Morning spoke to several farmers who confirmed that over the last 14 years, their encounters with wildlife had gradually increased, amplifying their battle to safeguard their cultivations and families.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Walsapugala Environmental Collective Secretary farmer I.K. Saman Sudarshana explained that within the Hambantota District alone, there was an estimated elephant population of 450.

“Since we have the highest density of elephants, we lobbied to ensure the welfare of the elephants in this region as they face habitat loss and movement restrictions due to the rapid development related zoning that is taking place. Our paddy cultivation lands are in the vicinity of the Lunugamvehera National Park and every year we incur crop damages as elephants arrive on the cultivation land and graze the paddy that is nearing harvest. At times when farmers decide to ward off these marauding elephants, there are incidents where the farmers are attacked and then succumb to injuries,” Sudarshana elaborated.

The Walsapugala farmers have staged protests and fasts unto death since 2017. Their fast unto death in 2021 demanding a lasting solution to the Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) resulted in the Government issuing a gazette declaring about 80% of Hambantota District under the Managed Elephant Reserve (MER).

Everything other than elephants in MER

Despite the MER, the rezoning of underutilised land for development has restricted the natural movement of elephant herds that transition from Udawalawe to Lunugamvehera seasonally. 

Elaborating further on this matter, Sudarshana said: “The MER is occupied by multinational business establishments, quarries, the highway network, the Hambantota International Port, dry zone botanical gardens, the bird park, the Hambantota International Cricket Stadium, the Mattala International Airport, and renewable energy suppliers who have set up electric fences to demarcate their real estate investments. In reality, anything and everything other than elephants reside within this MER zone. This exercise has resulted in cramming wildlife and residents of the Hambantota District into a constricted area, forcing man and animal to fight for food security and living space.”

On average, a well-grown elephant consumes 125 litres of water and 450 pounds of fodder. Sudarshana therefore reiterated that with the loss of access to forest land and their natural habitat, elephants had adapted to seeking water and food supplies from cultivation lands and wells that were constructed to gather and supply water for the crops.

“We understand that elephants too need their nutrition and are willing to co-exist with them. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult as the elephants have grown aggressive towards humans. Especially in the Hambantota District, elephants cause fatal injuries to humans who face elephant attacks. Even if we complain to the wildlife range office, by the time they arrive, the elephant has crossed over to another area. Even the wildlife rangers cannot do much and the only method to ward off these creatures is through lighting explosives,” Sudarshana added.

Farmers request scientific solution

Department of Wildlife Conservation Director – Operations and Planning Ranjan Marasinghe last week explained that the electrical fences fixed around the national parks, on the advice of elephant conservation specialists, had been removed. This is causing further threats to the people living near the buffer zones and the elephant corridors between the National Parks of Udawalawe and Lunugamvehera.

However, the farmer communities living in these regions seem to be unaware of this decision as they continuously request that an electric fence be set up demarcating the perimeters so that people will be able to safely move about and continue with their cultivations.

“We have elephant conservationists and organisations dedicated to protecting the welfare of wildlife. Moreover, there are enough scientific papers published on how human-elephant co-existence can be promoted. Why aren’t the Government officials paying heed to any of these studies and applying it to a practical setting?” Sudarshana questioned.

An increase in elephant population in SL?

With the changing behaviour, patterns, and on-ground movements, observers are raising questions as to whether the elephant population in Sri Lanka has increased. Although an elephant census scheduled to conclude by mid-2023 was planned, the survey did not take place.

“Comparing reports of elephant herd sightings on the ground in the Southern, North Central, and Eastern Provinces might be a possibility. However, we can only be certain once we conclude the scheduled elephant census that will take place in 2024. We are lobbying to get this census underway and implement conservation initiatives to match the elephant population and their movements as the country undergoes rapid development,” CEJ Media Director Ranjan Karunanayake explained.

The recent elephant deaths that occurred due to elephant herds colliding with a northern line-bound train have further raised questions on the speed increment in areas that are recognised to be elephant corridors.  Weighing in on the matter, DWC Director – Operations Marasinghe pointed out that the recent development efforts carried out by the Department of Railways to improve its services were causing a considerable amount of damage to the ecosystem.

“For decades, there was an agreement with the Department of Railways and the DWC that they would not operate trains during the time periods when elephant herds would be frequenting the area and speed limits were set so wildlife would not collide with fast-moving trains. However, in the past month, after the Talaimannar and Kankesanturai trains were relaunched with improved services, we also observed an increase in elephant deaths. We understand that the railways of this country need to keep up with international standards, but we also need to focus on the fact that we live in a country that has a high density of wildlife per square kilometre,” Marasinghe noted.

Concerning the rapid development that is underway in the southern region and fresh physical plans laid out by every incumbent government, we asked whether Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) had been conducted before demarcating zones for development work. In response, Marasinghe noted that private investors did not seem to follow this regulation.  

“Especially if the land is owned by a devalaya or a temple and that land is utilised for private eco-agriculture related businesses, EIAs are not conducted. This has resulted in dwindling forest cover and damages to the biodiversity in certain areas.”

Despite several attempts to reach Minister of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Pavithra Wanniarachchi and Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Secretary R.M.C.M. Herath for comment on the steps that the ministry plans to take to address these mounting concerns, both officials could not be reached at the time this newspaper went to print.