Committee to curb human-elephant conflict:

Report to be submitted

Lakshmi DE SILVA

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa has appointed a committee headed by Deputy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya to examine measures to curb human elephant conflict and its report would be handed over to the Economic Development Minister in two weeks time, Deputy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said to the Daily News yesterday.

The committee will recommend short, medium and long term measures to resolve the conflict. The minister directed that elephants should be protected while the danger to human life, crops and property should be stopped or minimized under feasible methods.

Among the measures recommended are the protection of elephant corridors and the habitat of the elephants. Some elephant fences are ineffective and some erected at unsuitable locations.

There should be natural fences to contain elephants by growing hedges of Palmyra. Lime and bougainvillea will repel elephants. Relocation of electric fences across trails the animal uses is also another long term strategy.

Another measure is that plant species like grass they consume are protected. For instance when hundreds of cattle are let loose to graze in forests, elephants lose their food and forage into villages in search of food. They destroy crops and even threaten the people he said.

Villagers will also be educated on the values of elephants in coordination with Wild Life Department officers. An insurance scheme to pay compensation for destroyed crops is to be started with financial inputs from Tourist Industry Cess.

The elephant population is 7,500 to 8,000, but it was only 4,500 in 2000.