Addressing Human-Elephant Conflict in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve Area: A Comprehensive Study on Landscape Design Approaches

Landscape design strategies can effectively mitigate human-elephant conflict in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka. The study identifies that maintaining natural corridors with elephants' preferred trees and grasses, combined with eco-bridges to connect fragmented forest areas, significantly reduces their incursions into residential zones and plantations. Additionally, establishing elephant-watching stations enhances tourism while white-colored stones or citrus biofences serve as buffer zones to deter elephants from roads. These approaches leverage the behavior of two critical male elephants whose movements are restricted by human infrastructure, offering a scalable model for similar conflicts in tropical rainforests.

Yasumi A Delkandure Arachchi, Uvini Galagoda, Amandra Senalankadhikara, Thilini Perera, & Chameera Udawattha. (2023). Addressing Human-Elephant Conflict in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve Area: A Comprehensive Study on Landscape Design Approaches. Proceedings of International Conference on Real Estate Management and Valuation, 7. https://doi.org/10.31357/icremv.v7.6752