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| Saturday, 6 April 2002 |
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by Florence Wickramage The first National Workshop on "Mitigation of Human-Elephant Conflict in the North Western Wild Life Region" organised by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWLC) commenced yesterday at Anuradhapura with the objective of drawing up short-term and long- term conservation plans for elephants in the Northwestern region. Director of DWLC Dayananda Kariyawasasm said that throughout Sri Lanka the conflict between elephants and people have been escalating for a variety of reasons. On an average three elephants are being killed per week as a direct result of the conflict, while between 50 to 60 people are killed annually by wild elephants. Therefore, if the human-elephant conflict was not mitigated, it would only lead in one direction: the destruction and eventual elimination of elephants outside the protected areas. The Department of Wildlife Conservation has recognised the need for a permanent solution to the conflict, the necessity of enlisting the support of the people and to safeguard the survival of as many elephants as is feasible in the wild, Mr. Kariyawasam said. The two day Workshop cum seminar will deal with all aspects of the Human-Elephant Conflict including Historical Perspectives; Current Status of the Human-Elephant Conflict in North West Sri Lanka; A Balanced Approach towards Conservation; the Role of NGOs ; Elephant Problems in Anuradhapura, Puttalam and Kurunegala; Movement patterns of Elephants; the Role of Veterinarians; Impact Assessment of Electric Fencing with special reference to Kahalla Pallekele Sanctuary; Managing chronic Crop-raiding Elephants ; Scientific Research as a basis for improved management of Elephants; and the Present Status of the Conflict in Sri Lanka. Presentations will be made by eminent personnel and experts in the field. |
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