Will Lanka soon lose all its gentle giants?
Will Lanka soon lose all its gentle giants?
Daily Mirror
July, 8 2024
See link
https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/opinion/Will-Lanka-soon-lose-all-its-gentle-giants-EDITORIAL/231-286628
for photo.
Sri Lanka witnessed the passing of another iconic elephant, fondly known as
‘Chandi’ on the banks of Kaduru Wewa, Galgamuwa on Friday. Villagers
gathered to mourn the death of this rather mischievous yet friendly
elephant who had been a frequent visitor to many households in the area.
Galgamuwa is a village that has been at the receiving end of the
human-elephant conflict over the past few years. Even though these remote
areas have been elephant habitats, rapid urbanisation has compelled
elephants to not only change their migratory routes but walk for long
distances in search of fodder.
Chandi flaunted one tusk, as a result of a fight and this tusker met its
untimely death as a result of a fight with another tusker in the area. But
on the contrary, Sri Lanka is currently witnessing a spike in elephant
deaths due to unnatural causes such as illegal electrocution, elephants
being killed by poachers and farmers who posses illegal weapons such as
shotguns and muzzleloaders, snaring and various other causes. Even though
villagers gathered to mourn this tusker’s death, elephants are now
considered a pest in many other areas in the country.
Various encroachment attempts have been made by politicians and those in
power, thereby posing a threat to elephants and other wildlife in remote
areas in the country. Back in the day, areas such as Habarana, Polonnaruwa,
Anuradhapura, Galgamuwa had a high density of elephants who roamed around
in the jungles, walked to nearby tanks and reservoirs to feed on fresh
grass, then walked back to their resting places and in fact there was a
balance in these ecosystems that helped their survival. Today, due to
habitat fragmentation and deforestation, these gentle giants have lost
their habitats.
Areas that once had green forest patches have now been cleared to put up
houses, hotels and other constructions. Even though some of these
establishments carry the ‘eco-friendly’ label, many of them have been
constructed by disturbing elephant crossings, other state forests and
similar ecosystems with a rich biodiversity. While many harp on wildlife
tourism in Sri Lanka, it doesn’t necessarily mean that one has to put up a
hotel on an elephant crossing to catch a glimpse of a herd of elephants!
There are sustainable approaches in which tourists could watch elephants
rather than clearing their only migratory route.
Apart from their visual appearance, elephants are said to be great
ecosystem engineers, bringing about the right balance in the ecosystem.
Everything from their feeding patterns to behaviours, reproductive cycles
do some service to nature. But their ecosystem services are seldom
appreciated.
However, the damage done is irreversible. What could now be seen is a spike
in attempts, mostly illegal, to encroach into National Parks and other
protected areas despite their legal status. A classic example is a proposal
by one minister to open a bus route via Wilpattu National Park despite
having a Supreme Court order against developing the said route. Wilpattu
has been subject to rapid deforestation since 2009, due to vested political
interests.
Environmentalists have always argued that they have never said no to
development. Indeed, a country needs to develop but that doesn’t mean that
its last remaining forest patches need to be sacrificed for concrete
jungles. Development doesn’t only mean infrastructure. It comes with a
change in attitudes and mindsets. It comes with proper studies on pros and
cons, Environmental Impact Assessments and analysing other technicalities
that would bring about sustainable development.
At this rate, Sri Lanka is likely to lose all its gentle giants, facing a
similar plight as the Woolly Mammoth if nothing is going to be done about
bringing the right balance between humans and the environment.