The government has decided to immediately restore key elephant corridors in the Anuradhapura District and declare them as protected areas as part of a long-term strategy to reduce human-elephant conflict.
The decision was taken at a special discussion held in Parliament, co-chaired by the Minister of Environment, Dr. Dhammika Patabendi, and Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody.
Members of Parliament Susantha Kumara Navaratne and Bhagya Sri Herath, along with senior officials from the Department of Wildlife Conservation, also participated in the meeting.
Discussions focused on removing obstacles along the traditional elephant migration routes connecting the Mahakanadara, Nachchaduwa and Mahawilachchiya forest areas to restore free movement for wild elephants.
Officials also reviewed plans to map elephant habitats and migration routes using GPS and satellite technology and to identify key corridors for legal protection.
Special attention was given to initiating the process of declaring the elephant corridor between Mahakanadara and Nachchaduwa as a wildlife sanctuary.
According to the Ministry of Environment, the programme forms part of the government’s environmental policy aimed at allowing elephants to move freely along their traditional migratory routes while providing a long-term, science-based solution to human-elephant conflict.
The government also noted that, under the same national programme, three major elephant corridors—Koholankala, Handapanagala and Thethirakanda in the Hambantota and Monaragala districts—have already been gazetted and opened for elephant movement.
