Human-Elephant conflict with reference to Mahaweli system C

Abstract

There is a strong cultural bond between the Sri Lankan people and elephants that dates back more than 5,000 years. Domesticated elephants were used in religious activities, transportation, construction and even in warfare. Even though, there were no records of any conflicts between humans and wild elephants in the past, with the implementation of the accelerated Mahaweli project in 1978, human-elephant conflict (HEC) in dry-zone of Sri Lanka became a major issue. In Sri Lanka, the HEC can be demonstrated to be a social problem because it possesses nearly all the defining characteristics of a social problem. Consequently, this conflict has direct and indirect effects on society and the environment. Both humans and elephants have lost their freedom to live. From an ecological perspective, elephants are considered to be a ‘keystone species’ in the ecosystems they inhabit, as they maintain the vegetation structure and biodiversity. They also play a role as an ‘umbrella species’. Thus conservation of elephants will automatically ensure the conservation of other species that co-exist in the same habitat. However, a review of Sri Lanka’s recent past demonstrates that the expanding human population and diminishing forest cover provide a systematic threat to the survival of elephants. Further, Sri Lankan governments’ agrarian economic policies have contributed significantly to the destruction of elephant habitat and their ancient wilderness, as well as the escalation of human-elephant conflict.