Government launches immediate measures to tackle human-elephant conflict

Colombo, July 6 (Daily Mirror) - The government has launched a series of immediate measures to address Sri Lanka's escalating human-elephant conflict, with efforts already underway to strengthen the operational capacity of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody said.

Addressing the media at the Ministry of Environment today (6), Jayakody said the new government, under the direct guidance of the President, had initiated a comprehensive programme aimed at finding sustainable and long-term solutions to the human-elephant conflict, which has intensified due to unplanned development and the impacts of climate change.

As part of the short-term strategy, the government has completed arrangements to provide the Department of Wildlife Conservation with the necessary human and physical resources to improve its response capabilities.

Accordingly, civil elephant-fence assistants have been recruited to strengthen field operations, while additional vehicles have been provided to the department.

The Deputy Minister also said that restoration work on tanks and other water sources within forest reserves has commenced to ensure wild elephants have adequate access to water within their natural habitats.

In addition, a habitat enrichment programme is being implemented to remove invasive plant species and establish new grasslands, aimed at improving food availability for elephants and other wildlife species.

Jayakody said these measures form part of the government's broader strategy to mitigate the human-elephant conflict while ensuring the protection of both human communities and wildlife.