Human-Elephant Conflict: A Spatial Pattern of Risk and Challenges in Koralaipattu South, Batticaloa

Abstract

Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) has long been a significant issue in the elephant range region of Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka. Koralaipattu South is one of the most vulnerable regions out of 14 divisional secretariat divisions of the Batticaloa district. In this context, the study focused on Koralipattu South Divisional Secretariat Division, Batticaloa. In the study area, some issues and root causes of HEC are evident, such as the expansion of temporary settlements, wild resource exploitation, and widespread elephant habitat losses due to agricultural fields across Koralipattu South, degraded forage, and reduced natural landscape connectivity. Due to the shrink of the elephant habitat, they are progressively forced into closer contact with the human population in forest precincts or cultivated areas, resulting in more frequent and severe conflict between humans and elephants. As a result, many properties, human lives, and communities in Koralaipattu South have been disrupted in various ways. In this backdrop, the study's main objective is to prepare a map to elaborate spatial patterns of HEC at Koralaipattu Divisional Secretariat Division. The study approaches mixed methods of spatial analysis through Geospatial Technology. Field observation, GPS survey, interviews, and talks with diverse people in Koralaipattu South are the primary data sources for this study. The land-use condition of the study area was determined using remotely sensed data. Data were spatially applied using grid index system analysis in the ArcGIS platform. Results reveal that HEC is a severe issue in the community, posing a threat to human lives, livelihoods, and settlements. Fourteen Grama Niladhari Divisions (GNDs) out Eighteen in the Koralipattu South were seriously affected by HEC. Domesticating, translocating, and eliminating troublesome elephants were among the innovative and co-existing strategies established and applied in Sri Lanka. But in the study area, the majority appears to be driven by short-term, site-specific factors that often transfer the HEC problems from one place to another. The risk map of HEC will supports respective officers, the public, and researchers from various sectors in preventing HEC in the future.