International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue X, October 2022|ISSN 2454-6186
Human Elephant Conflict (HEC): a Contemporary Threat to Rural Livelihoods in Sri Lanka
A.A.L.C. Perera1, K.M.R.D. Abhayapala2*, N. Dharmarathne3, R.N. Nugara2, U. Kumarasinghe2
1Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Gangodawila, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
2Faculty of Technology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Gangodawila, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
3Crop Care Agribusinesses (pvt) Ltd., Ipalogama, Maho, Sri Lanka
*Corresponding Author
Abstract: Human Elephant Conflict (HEC) has been recognized as one of the key concerns in rural community development including their agricultural activities and livelihoods well. Unrestrained and insensitive clearing of natural forest habitats for human settlements and agricultural expansions have become the major causes for this HEC, which has arisen and reported to be problematic for many years. Being mega-herbivores, elephants necessitate a huge amount of daily feed intake and due to reduced extent of their feeding grounds and migratory drives, they tends to invade human settlements and raid croplands adjacent to their habitats. This phenomenon can be predominantly witnessed in Asia and some regions of Africa where the HEC is reported to be greater. Accordingly, Sri Lanka is one of the Asian countries which deem the elephants as a cultural emblem and also an ominous beast. Capture-transport, driving of elephants in to non-problematic areas, and different forms of elephant barriers particularly electric fencing and make trenches over protected areas are the most appeared tactics in Sri Lanka. In spite of this mitigation of HEC has become a serious concern in Sri Lanka over the decades as the number of reported incidences are still increasing, emphasizing that the emerged approaches are monitored to be ineffective in long-term. Besides majority of these approaches appeared to be less-sustainable and demanding frequent upkeep and energy. Therefore, it is mandatory to explore a technically sound and environmentally viable approach which can sustain over long-term coupled with satisfactory level of control.
Keywords: Crop raiding, Habitat destruction, Human Elephant Conflict (HEC), HEC mitigation, Sustainable forest management
I. HUMAN ELEPHANT CONFLICT (HEC)
Human Elephant Conflict (HEC) is recognized as one of the alarming issues over the entire globe particularly in Asia and defined as the problematic situation in which humans and elephants have overlapping interests. Elephant habitat is being steadily degraded as human population density rises and land-use patterns change. As a result, much of the current elephant range overlaps and stretches into agricultural areas leading in elevated levels of HEC incidences. There are ample evidences that throughout the early nineteenth century, subsistence farmers producing crops in central African woods were losing substantial crop yields to elephants.