🐘 Sri Lanka's Human-Elephant Conflict: A Growing Crisis 📉

The recent 'Ditwah' catastrophe has intensified the long-standing Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) debate in Sri Lanka, exposing critical land management flaws and urging immediate rationalization of elephant and human populations. • Current Situation (2024 Estimates): • Sri Lanka's land area: 65,210 sq km. • Human population: 23.3 million. • Elephant population: 7,450. • 70% of wild elephants live outside dedicated areas, sharing 44% of the landscape with humans due to habitat and food scarcity. • 30% of land is landslide-prone, with 34% of the human population residing there. • Tragic Casualties: • 2023: 488 elephant deaths (highest on record) and 187 human fatalities. • 2011 - mid-2025: A staggering 4,600 elephants and 1,528 humans have died in HEC clashes. Experts warn 2025 is trending towards higher casualty figures. • Economic Burden: Billions in taxpayer money and foreign exchange are reportedly wasted on ineffective elephant control measures. Farmers face significant crop destruction, impacting livelihoods and national food economy, further aggravated by 'Ditwah'. • Proposed Long-Term Solution: • Determine 'Convenient Total Carrying Capacity' (CTCC): Establish a sustainable elephant population limit for 10-year periods, considering ecological and human needs. • Export Surplus Elephants: If the population exceeds CTCC, export surplus elephants to zoos in needy countries through diplomatic channels, ensuring breed maintenance. • Birth Control: Implement short and medium-term sterilization/birth control measures. • Diplomatic Efforts: Ease international restrictions on wild elephant exports/imports. • Anticipated Benefits: Reduced crop damage, improved economic growth, more habitat for elephants, additional land for humans and crops, regulated elephant nutrition, forest protection, and a new route to earn foreign exchange, saving billions currently spent on control measures. • Call to Action: Proposes a Presidential Task Force, including experts from DWC, Land Management, environmental groups, and farmer representatives, to deliberate on these proposals and submit a report within three months.