2012 Volume 85 Issue 1 Pages 17-28
People and wild animals constantly compete for limited resources of the planet, and mitigating these conflicts to allow co-existence is key to the well being of the world. This research revealed a conflict between an agricultural community and wild elephants in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, in a protected area where people and elephants exist within the same boundary sharing the natural resources directly. The conflict negatively impacted on the lives of people as well as elephants as there were both elephant-induced damage and human-induced damage. The change in attitudes and increased intolerance of farmers towards elephants as a consequence of the new conservation rules and regulations in the area added to the intensity of the conflict. Community support and involvement in the conservation process and the value of traditional livelihood are important factors in mitigating the issue.
