Human–elephant conflict (HEC) is a severe and much-debated issue in Sri Lanka. An average of two hundred animals are intentionally killed, and seventy to eighty human casualties are counted each year. The Sri Lankan elephant (Elephas maximus maximus) is an endangered subspecies. The reported elephant mortality rates are high. On the other hand, human–elephant conflict also leads to hardship and trauma among rural populations. This research paper reviews causal explanations for HEC in Sri Lanka, tracing underlying narratives and connecting broader conservation theory and practical approaches. The paper discusses potential causes and contexts of HEC in Sri Lanka, including historical factors (i.e., colonial hunting and land-use changes), poaching, habitat loss due to population growth, crop-raiding behaviour, problem animals, and changes in agricultural production systems. The review concludes that socio-economic and cultural factors in HEC in Sri Lanka are poorly explained, and more research should focus on the underlying conditions of rural populations’ vulnerability.

Human–elephant conflict (HEC) is a serious social–ecological problem in Sri Lanka’s elephant range regions, as between 200 and 400 elephants have been killed annually over the last years, and more than 1200 people have died from the consequences of elephant encounters within a decade. Crop foraging causes economic damage to farming households. The study aims to understand factors driving vulnerability to HEC among the population. Employing a cross-communal multi-item large-N field survey (N = 651), authors were able to describe living conditions and perceptions of Sri Lankan villagers affected by HEC. By running a multiple regression analysis with correlated variables, the study is able to correlate independent variables to vulnerability, namely socio-economic conditions, environmental change and land-use, and awareness. Furthermore, a vulnerability map has been created, identifying Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Matale, and Polonnaruwa districts as conflict hotspots. Private electric fences as a widespread protection measure were found to have unintended negative side-effects to non-protected households. The findings suggest the urgent need to upscale public policies mitigating the consequences of HEC on affected populations by reducing overall vulnerability to environmental hazards, including human–wildlife conflict.

Human-elephant conflict (HEC) in Sri Lanka has escalated over the recent years, with, on average, 300 elephant deaths annually and human casualties of around 90 per year. Employing field-based qualitative methods, this contribution identifies causes and contexts of human-elephant conflict in those parts of the Sri Lankan dry zone most severely affected. We have used field observations as well as semi-structured interviews with experts and affected villagers as primary data collection techniques. The findings show that (a) human-elephant conflicts are the result of land-use decisions, encroachment on elephant corridors, changes in agricultural production systems, and commercialization of land, and that (b) there is a deep division between the environmental knowledge and practices of rural people and the conservation governance provided by government authorities. Furthermore, both traditional and modern mitigation approaches fail to reign in HEC effectively. The insufficient implementation of HEC mitigation measures, and a severe disconnect between the needs and anxieties of rural people and conservation policies, render the management of human-wildlife interactions ineffective. This suggests a need for fundamental reform of elephant conservation policy in Sri Lanka.