President Anura Kumara Dissanayake orders swift action on human-elephant conflict with district-level committees, joint wildlife-security ops, and emergency staffing reforms.
President Orders Urgent Reforms and District Committees to Address Human-Elephant Conflict Across Sri Lanka
In a decisive move to curb the escalating human-elephant conflict, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has directed the immediate establishment of district-level committees led by accountable local officials to implement a sustainable and community-focused solution.
The instructions were issued during a high-level discussion held today (June 20) at the Presidential Secretariat, attended by key ministers, district secretaries, and senior defence and wildlife officials.
The meeting focused on the most severely affected districts, including Anuradhapura, Puttalam, Polonnaruwa, Ampara, Hambantota, Monaragala, Kurunegala, Badulla, and Trincomalee. District Secretaries provided firsthand updates on the pressing challenges faced by rural communities due to increasing elephant incursions.
President Dissanayake acknowledged the toll on the rural economy and human life, stressing that the current reactive approach must evolve into a well-coordinated, preventive mechanism built on collaboration between government agencies and local communities.
As a major policy shift, the President ordered:
- The formation of dedicated district-level committees within the next month
- Recruitment of retired officers on a contract basis to fill long-standing vacancies in the Department of Wildlife
- Immediate deployment of Civil Security Department (CSD) officers—after specialized wildlife training—to support ground operations
- Legislative amendments to empower these officers with operational authority in wildlife zones
The President also emphasized the need to expand and streamline joint operations already being conducted by the Police, military, and Wildlife Department to ensure a more organized, data-driven, and efficient strategy.
Operational gaps, including vacancies, logistics shortfalls, and lack of vehicles, were discussed extensively, with a promise of expedited resource allocation.
The following officials participated in the high-priority discussion:
- Professor Chandana Abeyrathne – Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government
- Ananda Wijepala – Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs
- T.B. Sarath – Deputy Minister of Housing
- Aruna Jayasekara – Deputy Minister of Defence
- Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake – Secretary to the President
- Ranjan Marasinghe – Director General of Wildlife
- Major General Lasantha Rodrigo – Army Commander
- Priyantha Weerasuriya – Acting Inspector General of Police
This new direction marks a significant step in Sri Lanka’s long-standing struggle to balance wildlife conservation with rural community protection, and reflects the President’s emphasis on accountability and ground-level execution in national development efforts.
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