The fourth consecutive ‘Gathering’, facilitated by the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS), was held on World Elephant Day 2023, at the Head office of the WNPS. This is a meeting of conservationists, scientists, other experts, and like-minded individuals all seeking to bring about a positive change to the current Human-Elephant Conflict.
It started with a comprehensive presentation by Prof. Shermin de Silva entitled ‘From global to local: land-use trends, elephant behavior, and human-elephant relationships.’ She is a professor in the Department of Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution at the University of California, San Diego and focuses on evidence-based conservation and education outreach in Asia. She has, for almost 20 years, directed the Uda Walawe Elephant Research Project increasingly concentrating on how people and wildlife can safely coexist. Her current findings do not bode well for the elephants of Uda Walawe unless positive interventions are taken, and soon, to reverse the habitat degradation of the park and in reopening the elephant movement ranges in and out of the park; now blocked by, mainly illegal, human encroachments.
Member of the WNPS Human-Elephant Coexistence Sub-committee, Mr. Chandima Fernando, gave an update on WNPS’s ongoing project of ‘Monitoring the body condition of elephants in Minneriya and Kaudulla National Parks’. His findings confirm those of Prof. de Silva in that due to the unseasonal water releases into the Minneriya Tank, resulting in a reduction in grasslands normally available at this time of the year, the body condition of the elephants suffers, and they seek pasture elsewhere. This is a threat to the World famous ‘Gathering’. However, the Mahaweli Authority has heeded the plea of researchers and is controlling the release of water. This has resulted in an immediate improvement for the elephants of Minneriya, and hope for the future.
Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando briefed the gathering on the current progress in the implementation of the National Action Plan for the mitigation of the Human-Elephant Conflict. Dr. Fernando serves as a member of the Presidential Committee to monitor the progress of the implementation of the Plan. 
Though not scheduled to speak, the WNPS appreciated the participation of Ranjan Marasinghe - Director (Operations) of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC). He expressed the DWC’s views on each of the above and, inevitably, was the focus of much of the enthusiastic Q & A session afterwards. This involvement of the DWC is of great value as the much-needed changes cannot be achieved without them.
