Greetings from a wildlife park in central Sri Lanka that's a haven for elephants
This article explores the growing human-wildlife conflict in central Sri Lanka, where expanding agriculture is encroaching on elephant habitats. It highlights the struggle of local farmers and the cultural reverence for elephants, illustrating the complex balance between economic survival and conservation.
Why it matters
It sheds light on the global challenge of biodiversity loss and the socio-economic impacts of human-wildlife conflict in developing nations.
For days, we met farmers as they prepared for the spring rice sowing season in central Sri Lanka. They told me and my Sri Lankan colleague Susitha Fernando about elephants trampling their crops, and how they tried to push them back with firecrackers and lit torches. They were losing their livelihoods — and sometimes their lives.
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