. Current
Projects
GeoExplore has commissioned three research initiatives.
These investigations will document the following areas of concern.
GeoExplore has commissioned three research initiatives.
These investigations will document the following areas of concern.
a) The elephant-human conflict, tracing the paths and behaviors of the elephant population in some of the worse affected areas
(Status: On-going: Project details attached).
b) The Sri Lankan bear: a study of where they are, what is happening to them (Status: Just commenced: Project details would be available soon).
c) The Sri Lankan leopard: a study of where they are, what is happening
to them (Status: Scheduled to start in September 2006).
d) Participatory eco-tourism / wildlife educationa/ rural economy
upliftment project: In-progress at the GeoExplore field base in
Moneragala, Sri Lanka
. PROJECT
TITLE: Human-Elephant Conflict in Sri Lanka (Pilot Project)
Feasibility study of the human, agriculture and property damage by elephants in the South East Dry Zone (SEDZ) of Sri Lanka.
Preamble:
The human-elephant conflict is the most critical wildlife management problem in Sri Lanka.
Every year a large number of human and elephant deaths are recorded due to this conflict. Although the Department of Wildlife Conservation of Sri Lanka and some other organizations have attempted to find a long-term solution to mitigate this conflict, still no proper plan has been developed. This is mainly due to the lack of long-term baseline information on the ecology and biology of elephants and the land use changes in the conflicting areas.
A classic example is the recent elephant trans-locations from their natural feeding grounds to nearby protected areas, conducted by the Department of Wildlife Conservation of Sri Lanka, showing the tendency of blindly solving conservation problems without understanding the full complexity of the problem. In these trans-locations a large amount of money has been wasted while
Most elephants return to their original locations.
There are about 4000-4,500 wild elephants in 'Sri Lanka, that are distributed across much of the Dry Zone and Intermediate Zone in the North-West, North-East and South East regions of the island.
The intense man-elephant conflict that exists today originated as a result of the growing demand for land and other consequences of rapid population increase. The severity of the human-elephant conflict increased as a result of the unplanned accelerated irrigation development projects. Attempts to increase the agricultural areas cause massive deforestation, which in return leads to an inevitable conflict with elephants who storm their former territory now taken over by farmers.
More than 50% of the elephant population in Sri Lanka is reported to be outside the protected areas. This is mainly due to the lack of habitat enrichments within the protected areas.
The percentage increases alarmingly as the conflict rages on.
More than 500 elephants are found in the SEDZ of Sri Lanka, which consists of several major protected areas such as Yala, Lunugamwehera, etc. New development projects have been carried out in these areas destroying the natural habitats of elephants. In addition SEDZ provides good man made feeding grounds - paddy fields and home gardens - for elephants. Therefore the human-elephant conflict in the SEDZ has been rapidly increasing, assuming disastrous proportions.
Therefore it is very important to study the status and the nature of the human elephant conflict in the southeast dry zone of the island. A feasibility study will help determine the need of carrying out a long-term research on the agriculture and property damage by elephants in SEDZ. This feasibility study will gather information on the present situation of the human-elephant conflict in the SEDZ of Sri Lanka.
Objectives:
To examine the feasibility of carrying out an extensive research project to study the human, agriculture and property damage by elephants in the SEDZ of Sri Lanka as a prelude to finding a practical solution to this burning issue.
Study area:
South East dry zone of Sri Lanka (please see attached map)
Study period:
On-going
Methodology:
Information on the human, agriculture and property damage caused by Elephants in the South-East Dry zone is being collected from direct observations and from local people.
Feasibility study of the human, agriculture and property damage by elephants in the South East Dry Zone (SEDZ) of Sri Lanka.
Preamble:
The human-elephant conflict is the most critical wildlife management problem in Sri Lanka.
Every year a large number of human and elephant deaths are recorded due to this conflict. Although the Department of Wildlife Conservation of Sri Lanka and some other organizations have attempted to find a long-term solution to mitigate this conflict, still no proper plan has been developed. This is mainly due to the lack of long-term baseline information on the ecology and biology of elephants and the land use changes in the conflicting areas.
A classic example is the recent elephant trans-locations from their natural feeding grounds to nearby protected areas, conducted by the Department of Wildlife Conservation of Sri Lanka, showing the tendency of blindly solving conservation problems without understanding the full complexity of the problem. In these trans-locations a large amount of money has been wasted while
Most elephants return to their original locations.
There are about 4000-4,500 wild elephants in 'Sri Lanka, that are distributed across much of the Dry Zone and Intermediate Zone in the North-West, North-East and South East regions of the island.
The intense man-elephant conflict that exists today originated as a result of the growing demand for land and other consequences of rapid population increase. The severity of the human-elephant conflict increased as a result of the unplanned accelerated irrigation development projects. Attempts to increase the agricultural areas cause massive deforestation, which in return leads to an inevitable conflict with elephants who storm their former territory now taken over by farmers.
More than 50% of the elephant population in Sri Lanka is reported to be outside the protected areas. This is mainly due to the lack of habitat enrichments within the protected areas.
The percentage increases alarmingly as the conflict rages on.
More than 500 elephants are found in the SEDZ of Sri Lanka, which consists of several major protected areas such as Yala, Lunugamwehera, etc. New development projects have been carried out in these areas destroying the natural habitats of elephants. In addition SEDZ provides good man made feeding grounds - paddy fields and home gardens - for elephants. Therefore the human-elephant conflict in the SEDZ has been rapidly increasing, assuming disastrous proportions.
Therefore it is very important to study the status and the nature of the human elephant conflict in the southeast dry zone of the island. A feasibility study will help determine the need of carrying out a long-term research on the agriculture and property damage by elephants in SEDZ. This feasibility study will gather information on the present situation of the human-elephant conflict in the SEDZ of Sri Lanka.
Objectives:
To examine the feasibility of carrying out an extensive research project to study the human, agriculture and property damage by elephants in the SEDZ of Sri Lanka as a prelude to finding a practical solution to this burning issue.
Study area:
South East dry zone of Sri Lanka (please see attached map)
Study period:
On-going
Methodology:
Information on the human, agriculture and property damage caused by Elephants in the South-East Dry zone is being collected from direct observations and from local people.