Sri Lanka elephant conservation holiday

Planet

This particular wildlife program has a unique model which involves a fully inclusive conservation strategy. As rural human populations continue to grow and further encroach into wildlife habitat, the interface between wildlife and people grows increasingly diffused, and in some areas is non-existent. Competition with wild elephants for adequate space for agriculture, forestry and other forms of human development creates deadly situations for both humans and elephants.

We simultaneously pursue three key strategies to successfully fulfil our mission and achieve our goals and objectives, including field research, applied conservation, and sustainable economic development.
We are highly committed to developing practical solutions that mitigate wildlife-human conflict, environmental damage, climate change, and biodiversity loss, and that address sustainable livelihoods, land use, and rural poverty issues. All of these issues are intertwined and must be addressed simultaneously to achieve lasting and meaningful conservation.

When you join this program you can be assured that all aspects of the environment and nature are conserved using correct methods and practices.

People

We practice holistic, community-based conservation methods, based on sound scientific research and the needs of the local people to manage the local ecosystem, protect communities and their livelihoods, and ensure the long-term protection of our endangered wildlife.

For Sri Lankans living in the rural countryside, close encounters with elephants during their day-to-day activities are commonplace. Crop raiding by elephants and the harsh retaliatory measures subsequently taken by people whose livelihoods depend on their farm products feeds a vicious cycle of violence. Each year, about 80 humans and about 250 elephants are killed due to human-elephant conflicts. Our goal is to cultivate novel methods for sustainable conservation that permit the peaceful co-existence of all denizens of Sri Lanka's rural areas.

Over the years, we have established electric fences around our local villages to protect the people whilst allowing our wild elephant population to range freely. We have set up community-based organisations for human-elephant conflict mitigation, home garden development, and agro-forestry. Meanwhile, our Project Orange Elephant protects farms and homes from crop raiding elephants and supplements the farmer’s income throughout the year.

Alongside these projects, we conduct scientific research on Sri Lanka's most endangered wildlife species. Our research began with the endangered Sri Lankan elephant, but has subsequently extended to include Sri Lanka's elusive carnivores, butterflies and marine life.