Sri Lanka's Environmental Protection Framework Under Threat

Strategic Insights -

Optimism has given way to concern as Sri Lanka's new government, despite holding a significant majority, has failed to address environmental concerns. Instead, its rhetoric has legitimized extrajudicial actions and fueled hostility toward wildlife. Environmental activists are calling for a coordinated, evidence-based, and scientific response to address the ongoing threats to Sri Lanka's environmental protection framework and the safety of frontline wildlife officers.

Key Takeaways:

  • Despite repeated calls for a coordinated, evidence-based, and scientific response, the government remains entrenched in failed strategies such as elephant drives and confining elephants to protected areas.
  • Politicians within the government deflect responsibility by pointing fingers at wildlife officers, even going so far as to accuse them of shooting elephants.
  • The government has continued to promote mob law, with Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Marine Resources, Rathna Gamage publicly threatening that wildlife officers should be punished if they interfere with inland fishing activities.
  • The government has released 600 acres of land to a private company near the Wilpattu National Park and has allocated 5,300 hectares of land in the Mahaweli zones for investment.
  • The government has also announced that areas gazetted as protected after 1985 would be released to the public, further exacerbating the Human-Elephant Conflict.
  • The annual average number of elephant deaths in Sri Lanka has risen sharply to 403 per year in the past five years, from 263 in the period 2010-2019.
  • The dismantling of protected areas is likely to intensify the Human-Elephant Conflict, further endanger wildlife, and undermine the sustainability of local agricultural communities.
  • The conservation legacy of Sri Lanka has been built through the dedication and sacrifice of countless individuals, including wildlife officers who have given their lives in the line of duty.

Statistics:

  • 45.5% of Sri Lanka's land area was already under agriculture as of 2022 (World Bank, 2022).
  • 600 acres of land have been released to a private company near the Wilpattu National Park (Letter, Minister K.D. Lalkantha, July 31, 2025).
  • 5,300 hectares of land in the Mahaweli zones have been allocated for investment (Media announcement, H.M.J.K. Herath, August 29, 2025).
  • 403 elephants are estimated to die annually in Sri Lanka (Update in Human-Elephant Conflict, Sri Lanka).
  • 60% of the island is now home to elephants, while humans share 70% of it (Update in Human-Elephant Conflict, Sri Lanka).
  • 15% increase in cultivated crop extent from 1,467,000 ha to 1,690,000 ha is projected by 2030 (Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision and Strategic Path report, 2019).

Sources:

  • World Bank (2022). [Source not explicitly mentioned in the original text - please provide the original source].
  • Letter, Minister K.D. Lalkantha, July 31, 2025.
  • Media announcement, H.M.J.K. Herath, August 29, 2025.
  • Update in Human-Elephant Conflict, Sri Lanka.
  • Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision and Strategic Path report, 2019.