The need to expeditiously formulate a national policy, with the participation of all relevant stakeholders and institutions, to mitigate the human-elephant conflict was emphasized at the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Agriculture and Resource Sustainability.

During a recent committee meeting held at Parliament under the chairmanship of Member of Parliament Hector Appuhamy, the research findings and policy recommendations of a project jointly implemented by the Coalition for Inclusive Impact (CII), UNESCO and the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) were discussed.

The discussion focused on managing the human-elephant conflict, addressing the food and water requirements of wild elephants, enhancing wildlife habitats, and increasing community participation in environmental conservation.

The committee also highlighted the need for an appropriate management programme to minimize the risk of wild elephants entering human settlements due to shortages of water and food resources within wildlife habitats.

Further attention was directed towards prioritizing and expeditiously gazetting six identified elephant corridors, improving habitats within wildlife reserves, and strengthening awareness programmes for local communities.

Meanwhile, the discussion also covered the need to properly survey and demarcate state-owned lands to protect the Muthurajawela wetland system, as well as strengthen inter-agency coordination to prevent unauthorized activities.

Attention was also drawn to the challenges faced by small-scale fishing communities and measures that could be taken to improve their livelihoods.

The committee emphasized that addressing environmental issues, including the human-elephant conflict, requires evidence-based action grounded in scientific research and data, strengthened coordination among relevant state institutions, and the study and adaptation of successful methodologies to suit Sri Lanka’s context.