By Rathindra Kuruwita

Businessmen and politicians keep on clearing isolated forest areas in the North Western provinces and this is aggravating the human elephant conflict in the area in a dramatic way, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agriculture Reform (MONLAR) says.

Chamikara told The Island that in recent years there had been a significant spike in the human-elephant conflict in the dry zone mainly due to the massive expansion of maize and sugar cane cultivations in those areas, usually in swathes of cleared forest lands.

“The expansion of these large commercial agro enterprises has displaced elephants from their natural grazing areas and have obstructed their ability to move from one forest area to another. Thus, the elephants are compelled to raid human settlements for fodder, and this has led to many human and elephant deaths. The people affected by the human – elephant conflict are often those who are not responsible for the destruction of elephant havens. Poor farmers unable to cope up with the increasing threat from elephants are selling their lands to large companies,” he said.

Chamikara said that between 1990 and 2000, on average, 150 elephants and 40 humans died per year due to the human-elephant conflict. However, between 2010 and 2018, elephant deaths had increased to 275 and human deaths have increased to 80 per year. The situation became worse in 2019, when 406 elephants and 122 humans died due to the human – elephant conflict. In 2020, 307 elephants and 112 humans died.

Most recently swathes of forests had been cleared at places like Kiribathpelessa, Ehetuwewa, and Kurunegala, Chamikara said. That was the main catchment area of the Palukadawala Tank and was also the home to a large number of elephants. Those were also the nindagam of Nakolagane Raja Maha Vihara, he said.

“By late September about 50 acres had been cleared and another 700 acres given to several businessmen. No one had given these individuals any approval to clear these areas,” he alleged.

Chamikara said that in the Northwestern Province, a large number of elephants lived in isolated forest lands. Those animals spend the day in the forests and come out at night in search of food. Establishing farms by clearing the forest and near the tank will clearly lead to increased human-elephant conflict in the area, he said.

“There are around 5,000 acres of forest land in Nakolagane. There are about 25 tanks in these forests. This is not only a place where elephants feed, but it is also an elephant crossing. There are many tanks that are fed by the forests as well and they are vital for agriculture. The land being cleared belongs to the nindagama of Nakolagane temple,” Chamikara said.

He said that there were four settlements in the nindagama and that clearing up forests for commercial agriculture would greatly endanger those peasants. Already the misuse of lands in the nindagama had led to many issues.

“Many hectares of the nindagama has been cleared for commercial agriculture, to establish granite quarries, soil excavation, unauthorised settlements and the establishment of unsystematic elephant fences. Because of these developments, there has been a spike in human-elephant conflict and degradation of the soil, destabilising of the soil and a drop in ground water level,” he said.

Chamikara said that it was one of the many instances where land in the Northwestern province was being misused. Despite the obvious negative effects, none of the officials had done anything to stop those destructive practices.

“The clearing of these isolated forests are having a devastating impact. Everyone sees that, except those entrusted to act against such activities,” he said.

Seeveral laws too had been violated through those projects, Chamikara said. Almost all the projects violated the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance (FFPO), no 02 of 1937, amended by Act no 22 of 2009. According to sub section 9 a (01) of the Act, one needs permission from the Director General of the Wildlife Conservation Department to carry out any developmental activity within a mile of the border of any national park, he said.

According to sub section 9 a (02) of the Act says that to obtain permission from the Director General of the Wildlife Conservation Department, one needs to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment based on National Environmental Act, no 47 of 1980. Sub section 10 (c) of the Act states a person or an organization that carries out any development activity of any description within a mile of the border of any national park “shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine of not less than fifteen thousand rupees and not exceeding fifty thousand rupees or to imprisonment of either description for a term not less than two years and not more than five years or to both such fine and imprisonment.”

These also violate the Antiquities (Amendment) Act No. 24 of 1998. An Archaeological Impact Assessment needs to be obtained if one is constructing and reconstructing tanks, carrying out agricultural projects, clearing areas over two acres, and carrying out combined multipurpose development activities including housing, industries and infrastructure facilities of areas exceeding one hectare in extent. This is noted in gazette No. 1152/14 dated 04.10.2000 published under Section 47, read with Section 43(b), of the Antiquities (Amendment) Act, he says.