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. |