President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to urgently implement a formal and efficient mechanism to address the escalating human-elephant conflict, which poses a serious threat to rural livelihoods and economic stability.
These directives were given during a high-level discussion held on June 20 at the Presidential Secretariat, focusing on long-term solutions to the human-elephant conflict.
Special attention was given to the districts most affected by the issue, including Anuradhapura, Puttalam, Polonnaruwa, Ampara, Hambantota, Monaragala, Kurunegala, Badulla, and Trincomalee.
District Secretaries from the affected regions presented detailed reports outlining the challenges faced in their areas, including human and elephant casualties, crop damage, and threats to public safety.
The President emphasized the urgent need to streamline the existing response mechanisms and to implement solutions in close coordination with local communities.
As a key step, President Dissanayake ordered the formation of district-level committees within the next month, comprising accountable officials responsible for executing targeted measures to mitigate the conflict.
He further instructed that retired officers be recruited on a contract basis to address staffing shortages in the Department of Wildlife.
As an immediate solution, the President directed officials to deploy Civil Security Department officers to the Department of Wildlife after providing them with specialized training and enacting the necessary legislation.
The President also emphasized the need to make ongoing joint operations by the Police, Armed Forces, and the Department of Wildlife more coordinated and efficient.
The meeting was attended by several key government figures, including ministers, senior defense officials, the Director General of Wildlife, District Secretaries, and other relevant authorities.
