People face elephant attacks as pachyderms migratory paths blocked by squatters

By Aruna Bogahawatta

Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has said 16 elephant corridors across the country have been obstructed by illegal settlements and constructions. Five elephant corridors in Anuradhapura District alone had been obstructed, he said.

“Recently, we had a meeting with Wildlife officers, and they said that 16 main elephant corridors have been obstructed. Such obstructions, on traditional migratory paths of elephants, have increased in recent years. Because of that the elephants are marooned and it has led to a worsening human-elephant conflict,” he said.

The Minister added that he has asked Wildlife officers to remove people from the 16 elephant corridors and by 2024 this process will be completed.

“We can give these people land somewhere else. There really isn’t much of a point in farming in areas where elephants roam. Most of the crop is destroyed and the government has to keep on making interventions,” he said.

Recently, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) said the escalation of human-elephant conflict is the result of mass scale deforestation, over the years.

“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 are under the erroneous notion that the elephants are invading their villages due to the inaction of the Wildlife Department officers, and the police, Chamikara said.