President offered recommendations on conserving Sinharaja elephants
June 20, 2018 11:20 am
Protect Sri Lanka (Surakimu Sri Lanka) Organization has produced a list of proposals to the President Maithripala Sirisena on the recent developments regarding the 2 rare elephants in the Sinharaja Forest.
In the letter, they have appreciated the President’s decision to halt the removal of the said 2 elephants from their habitat.
Mentioning the importance of the 2 elephants, they say rather than providing just simple or emotional solutions to the human- elephant conflict, special attention should be given to sustainably resolve this issue.
The organization, in their letter, has listed out the following recommendations and proposals regarding the issues.
1. Preparing a proper management plan with a localized conservation plan by also considering the protection of the public and their property.
2. Establishing a committee consisting of relevant officials, scientific and technical experts, environmentalists and agents of community organizations of the area, to sustainably resolve the issue.
3. Use of tracking devices on the elephants to monitor their migratory patterns and to track their locations in order to regulate their entry to the areas of cultivation and human populace.
4. Establishing electric fences surrounding the villages which are threatened by the human-elephant conflict, instead of building electric fences around the forest.
5. Establishment of wildlife offices in the villages where the human-elephant conflicts are the most intense.
6. Setting up elephant passes according to the dietary and biological needs of the 2 elephants and limiting human activities near those elephant passes.
7. Removal of illegally cultivated land and strengthening the program regarding the buffer zone of the Sinharaja world heritage site.
8. Instructing police to strictly enforce the law regarding illegal gem mining, moonshine brewery, ‘wallapatta’ smuggling and deforestation in the Sinharaja forest.
9. Launching community conservation programs by educating the public living near Sinharaja world heritage site, on its importance.
10. Seeking the support of both local environmental organization as well international organizations such as the IUCN, UNESCO and Conservation International, with the conservation of the Sinharaja world heritage site.
