Elephant corridors: to open or not to open?

by Isuri Yasasmin Kaviratne

Sri Lanka has thousands of years of history with elephants; the people used to worship them, use them for heavy work, charge opponents in battles, or parade the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha in peraheras. Some also have been killing them for their tusks, a practice that began during colonization, and continues till today. In return, the elephants attack us. During nightfall, when we are most vulnerable, they attack villages. Environmentalists say the invasions occur as humans have encroached into the land once inhabited by the elephants. The villagers have their own story to tell. And the tug of war continues.

The recent proposal by Minister Gamini Jayawickrema Perera to open elephant corridors in the Polpithigama Divisional Secretariat was met with a great deal of opposition from farmers in the area as well as environmentalists who analyzed the geography of the area. However, the Wildlife Department and the Divisional Secretariat of Polpithigama insisted that the proposed plan is the best way to stop elephant attacks.

While Minister Perera intends to make the entire sanctuary a tourist destination, the National Organizer of All Island Farmers' Federation Namal Karunaratne says, for the villagers, it is a matter of life and death, the elephant attacks being a constant part of their lives.

According to Karunaratne, 14 school development societies, 22 temples, 26 farmer associations, and over 30 other volunteer organizations have joined forces against the said proposal. "This proposal will lead elephants as well as humans into trouble,"he said.

The current elephant fence, 42km long, separates the villages and the Kahalla forest. The proposal is to open the fence from Kattambeeriyaya, and extend it for 30km more, to include the Hakwatuwaoya Lake.

Claiming that the proposal is not scientifically planned and unpractical, Karunaratne accuses of a lack of analysis of the geography of the area and wildlife management, and the exclusion of specialists in wildlife, ecology, and geology in planning the proposal. The public too, was not consulted at any point during the discussion or project drafting.

A group of environmentalists analyzed the proposal and the land and concluded that it could be better implemented with some adjustments. Sajeewa Chamikara, an environmentalist who studied the project said, the proposal would have been successful had it incorporated the rest of the natural forest areas to expand the sanctuary area, without which the electric fence would create a bottleneck effect. With this arrangement, he predicted, the elephant attacks would increase in the villages. "The project is good, but needs some amendments. If the wildlife management concepts are used, this could have been avoided," he added.

However, Minister Perera said, the elephant corridor is the only way out for the constant elephant attacks in the villages.

The Cabinet approved the proposal to open elephant corridors, and he suggested that the All Island Farmers' Federation needs to look beyond political motivations. "I am willing to sit down with the parties opposing the project to come to an agreement," he added.

The proposal, if implemented, will set up elephant fences across two main roads; Rambe - Melsiripura Road and Kattamberiya - Polpithigama Road, Karunaratne said. However, the Divisional Secretary of Polpithigama W.G.W. Wanasinghe said, the road, after the completion of the project, will be similar to Habarana - Minneriya Road, with the forest on either sides of the road.

The Pallekele sanctuary is home to around 400-500 elephants, and around 12 elephants have crossed the elephant fence to the villages and are attacking the residents at night. Karunaratne said, the measure they propose is to strengthen the existing electric fence to prevent the elephants from entering the villages, after sending the already roaming elephants back to the forest area. To provide these elephants with a better habitat, he suggested reconstructing several small lakes located within the electric fence, instead of extending the sanctuary area. "If this were to happen, there are over 5,000 villagers willing to provide voluntary labour."

The Director General of Wildlife Department W.S.K. Pathiratne was unavailable for comment, however, an official at the Department said under anonymity, that the Kahalla - Pallekele area surrounding the Hakwatuna Oya belongs to the government as it is a government land where people have encroached. The elephant fence is situated in the middle of the sanctuary, limiting the movement of the elephants. The proposal intends to extend the sanctuary by 30km and add that part to the main sanctuary.

"As for the tanks situated within the sanctuary, they are already being looked at under the Habitat Enrichment Project conducted by the Department," he said. Further, he added, it will put an end to illegal sand mining and other activities that take place in the banks of the lake, as well as cultivations.

Chamikara said, on a positive note, this project would put an end to the land surrounding the lake being used for agriculture. "It affects the quality of the eco-system negatively."

Wanasinghe explained that cultivations along the bank of the lake are done by outsiders, with the help of villagers. One cultivation extends over 10 acres of land. The project will protect the lake as well, he added. Though these cultivations are illegal, they would be compensated for their losses, he said.

The proposal, if implemented, will relocate 17 families of Irudinayaya village, which, Wanasinghe explained, is part of the 21,690 hectare sanctuary. However, the Minister as well as the Secretary Wanasinghe, assured that they will be settled in a systematic manner when the project gets under way.