Sri Lanka’s elephant populations are currently threatened by deforestation, land degradation, and unregulated exploitation of natural resources. Effective human-elephant conflict mitigation cannot take place in the long term without the involvement and true support of the local communities. Similarly, rural livelihoods depend on a flow of natural resource benefits, many of which cannot be sustained without active protective measures.

To build these partnerships requires greater understanding about working with local communities in designing programs to realize joint benefits. It also requires effective community empowerment to allow the communities to plan for their own future.

This phase of this previously IEF funded project will establish a community-based elephant monitoring program at pre-selected sites and provide an awareness program for the affected communities while introducing eco tourism as a tool to mitigate human-elephant conflict. During the initial stage of the project, each site will be mapped and the mapped area will be categorized into zones based on specific vegetation types, availability of water, human settlements, and cultivated areas.

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