Elephant-human conflict:

‘First budget with serious proposals’

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

Sri Lanka’s elephant conservators said the present budget is the first and the only budget that has approached with responsibility the problem of the human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka.

Reflecting on the budget proposals, the conservators said President Mahinda Rajapaksa has proposed to compensate the costs of elephant crop damages for the first time in the budget.

Elephants invade farmer crops and destroy nearly 10 000 acres every year, they said.

Thousands of farmers whose crops are at risk of elephant attacks will benefit from the President’s proposals.

The farmers will get elephant crop raiding compensation in the budget in addition to property damage, elephant deaths and injuries payments they get from the Wildlife Conservation Department.

Wildlife Department’s Elephant Conservation Unit Deputy Director W S K Pathirathna told the Daily News that this is the first time that a state leader has paid so much attention to the problem of elephant-human conflict with necessary funds to construct four elephant holding grounds to deal with it on a pragmatic foundation.

Holding grounds will be the most effective way to address the problem, he said. President Rajapaksa has approved building four elephant holding grounds in Lunugamwehera, Horowpathana, Maduru Oya and Palukadawa Galgamuwa areas where wildlife and people overlap as a means to reduce the conflict. President has allocated Rs 400 million for Wildlife and Agrarian Ministry to carry out these projects.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has also instructed Treasury Secretary P B Jayasundara to render his full cooperation to activities that concern resolving the human-elephant conflict, the Daily News reliably learns. Meanwhile, steps are being contemplated at ministerial levels to pay a sum of Rs 50 000 or Rs 60 000 per acre of elephant crop damage to ensure the livelihoods of farmers living in villages near forests.