Identifying How Sri Lanka's Development Process Influences the Creation of Elephant-Human Conflict (With References to Hamabantota District)

Abstract

Elephant - Human conflict has become a serious social and environmental issue due to the unsustainable development programs currently being implemented in Sri Lanka. In such a context, a problematic situation has been created regarding the direction of development and the balance of sustainable development goals in a country. The main objective of this study is to analyze how the development process of the country, which has created a current social discourse, affects the creation of human-elephant conflicts. The data and information for this research paper was primarily obtained from existing researches. The study is based on the secondary data that has been published specially in Hambantota district. Human-elephant conflict has become a very serious social problem in Hambantota area, which was identified as a rural area until recently. The development achieved in this way, many positive results have been achieved for the area, but due to the heavy damage done to the natural environment illegally, the forest population as well as the animal population are facing many difficulties. Some of these issues include blocking the daily routes of wild animals, lack of food for animals, and blocking elephant passes. Therefore, it has become a very common phenomenon for wild elephants and other animals to damage lives and property in villages. Human-Elephant conflict in these areas has become a major factor that disrupts the lives of rural people. Especially family life, children's education, rural agricultural economy as well as other social, economic, cultural, political and environmental aspects are also significantly affected. In this way, due to the development process taking place in Sri Lanka, it can be seen that part of the people are fighting with the government and another part of the people are accepting the risk of life in the face of human conflict and adapting to the existing environment.