Assessing Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) along Peraru River, Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka.

Abstract

Human-elephant conflict (HEC) is a major socioeconomic and conservation issue in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is the place where the highest Asian elephant density is observed, and almost 60% of the human population shares its habitat with the elephant. The proximity to natural vegetation and denseless population around the river allows only to collect through the convenience sampling method of thirty structured questionnaire surveys among rural residents of the Peraru River region, from Muththayankattu Tank to Nanthi Kadal Lagoon, Mullaitivu District. Collected data were analyzed through Minitab and the results indicated that 89.8 % of respondents engaged in farming and gardening, and almost all had lived in the area for over 10 years. Paddy, coconut, and vegetable (Manihot esculenta, Cucurbita) cultivation dominates in this region. The questionnaire revealed that in the Peraru region, elephants are observed daily (96.6 %), primarily at night (75.9 %), causing extreme damage to paddy (87.0 %), vegetables (10.2 %), and coconut trees (34.0 %), respectively. This study assessed the key causes of HEC in the study area using a 5-point Likert scale, which showed both elephant attraction towards local farming practices and improper management practices to deter elephants as the same percentage (15.82 %), followed by water scarcity (14.77 %), settlements in elephant roaming paths 14.18 %), and expanding agricultural land and human settlement (13.71 %), respectively. Due to the HEC, this year, it was reported that the death of an individual elephant (Septicemia) and a human (during elephant deter) was recorded on two separate occasions in the study area. Usage of bright lights (46 %), firecrackers (39 %), loud noises (32 %), Improved Explosive Devices (IED) (28 %), and private electric fences (21 %) are some of the elephants deter methods used by the residents of the Peraru region. Also, one respondent indicated that using seasonal bio-fence (chili fence) successfully prevented the elephant. About 90 % of respondents believe electric fences around forests are a permanent solution for the HEC. Also, 60 % of respondents are confident that elephants are captured and translocated from other parts of the country due to the unavailability of fodder, and they believe this was done purposefully. Further, the interviews exposed that existing government regulations and improper deterrent practices, like false fencing methods, also increase HEC in the study area. Improving the awareness could lead to further co-living of elephants and humans in the Peraru region, Mullativu, Sri Lanka. Moreover, the study finds and recommends that collaboration between government authorities and the community is lacking in establishing and maintaining suitable elephant deterrent electric fences, which should be accompanied by consistent maintenance and monitoring by the community to mitigate HEC sustainably in the future.