By Rathindra Kuruwita

The escalation of human-elephant conflict is the result of mass scale deforestation over the years, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) said, commenting on recent incidents in Kebithigollewa, where a police sergeant was killed by a group of angry villagers during a protest following a wild elephant attack.

“If you look at districts like Anuradhapura, Kurunegala and Vavuniya, there has been large scale deforestation. Large swaths of forest land have been cleared for development projects and commercial agriculture. A large number of elephants have lost their habitat. And this is the outcome of the unplanned development,” he said.

Unfortunately, most people affected by the human-elephant conflict thought that the elephants invaded their villages due to the inaction of the wildlife Department officers, and the police, Chamikara said.

“When TV crews visit villages affected by the human-elephant conflict, villages blame the Wildlife Department and the police for inaction. They need to be educated that the increased human-elephant conflict is due to deforestation. For example in the Anuradhapura District 15,000 acres are to be cleared for Lower Malwathu Oya Reservoir. The clearing of forests started in 2021. Then, there is a project to plant aloevera on 114,066 acres. This is about 20 percent of the Anuradhapura District and large swaths of forest have been cleared for this. He said.

Chamikara added that the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration removed other state forest lands from the purview of the Department of Forest Conservation though 01/2020 and 02/2021 circulars. The administration of these lands are now under the Divisional Secretaries.

“In 2001, these forest lands were taken away from the Divisional Secretaries because they were authorising projects that ruined the environment. Deforestation increased after these forests were placed under Divisional Secretaries. An increase in the intensity of the human-elephant conflict is the result of this. While the Department of Wildlife is also responsible for the increased human-elephant conflict, politicians and state officials who authorised and encouraged deforestation must be held responsible for this catastrophe,” he said. Chamikara said that the human-elephant conflict was multifaceted and clashes between people affected and state officials closest to them were unfortunate.