Developing a Sustainable Research Project for the Conservation of Elephants Integrated with the Restoration and Conservation of the Historic Somawathiya Chaitiya Temple Sustained by a Paying Volunteer Program (initiated 2006).

This phase of this long-term IEF supported elephant conservation program focuses on the development of an integrative project for elephants/culture/nature conservation that takes into consideration the historic importance of the Somawathie Chaitiya Temple, which is nearly 2,100 years old. The Somawathiya Chaitiya National Park (SCNP) is situated in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka and is contiguous with the Flood Plains and Wasgamuwa National Parks to the south, and with the Trikonamadu Nature Reserve to the east, and the western side of the park provides a link to the Hurulu Forest Reserve, part of which is protected as a biosphere reserve.

The area gets its name from the historic Buddhist temple - the Somawathie Chaitiya that is recorded to be 2,100 years old. The SCNP is 37,762 hectares and affords protection to a unique diversity of habitats consisting of riverine villus (natural water bodies) and flood plains, as well as to the largest concentration of elephants in Sri Lanka. The crucial components of the project will be to develop a partnership with the temple to help in its restoration, conduct an archeological dig in coordination with the Archeological Department and to initiate an elephant research and conservation program.
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