Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
This organisation makes research and conservation projects a reality in countries where funding for such projects is hard to obtain.Human activities in Sri Lanka are a serious threat to the endangered Sri Lankan elephant. In recent years, an average of 100-150 elephants and 60 people have died annually in Sri Lanka due to intense human-elephant conflict, and many more elephant deaths go unrecorded in the jungle. Almost all of these elephants are shot, poisoned or wounded by farmers in defence of, or in retaliation for damaged crops, property and life.
The human-elephant conflict has become a major socio-economic and political issue in areas shared by humans and elephants. If efforts are not made to resolve these issues soon, there undoubtedly will be a drastic drop in the Sri Lankan elephant population, probably leading to the eventual extinction of several important regional populations. Furthermore, these losses would be a major obstacle to developing and implementing a long-term strategy to conserve and manage Sri Lanka's elephants in the wild. Research is thus urgently required to establish the diversity and abundance of wildlife, in particular estimates of elephant densities, their habitat use and their impact on humans with whom they share this habitat.
This information is critical to determine the conservation measures that need to be implemented for the long-term survival of wildlife as well as local livelihoods.
The expedition study area is thought to have one of the largest populations of elephants in Sri Lanka, numbering over 800 individuals, but very little is known about their ecology or their conservation status. The expedition will help to ascertain elephant numbers and ecology in the region and contribute to much needed human-elephant conflict resolution.
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