In Sri Lanka, farmers near wildlife habitats risk losing entire harvests to elephants. We're pioneering innovative solutions that protect both livelihoods and wildlife. Our project tests and implements farming systems that enable communities to maintain profitable agriculture while preserving critical elephant habitat, enabling sustainable coexistence between humans and wildlife.
Habitat loss is the largest challenge facing Asian elephants. Communities that live in close proximity with elephants need ways to turn this from being a liability into an asset. This is the best chance of ensuring elephants can survive on these landscapes. This project is focused on small-holder agricultural communities living near Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka, many with an income of under $1500/year.
We aim to assist farmers in Sri Lanka and Thailand in the transition from regenerative agro-ecology by growing crop varieties that are both economically valuable and more resilient. By being less prone to damage by elephants (and other wildlife) and more robust to changing patterns of rainfall, we hope these crops will help farmers earn better incomes while also making these spaces safer for elephants and other wildlife to pass through.
The continued survival of elephants depends on their being able to move through a mix of human-dominated space. We have two goals. The first is to gradually encircle critical habitats with supportive programs that build understanding and trust within communities. The second is to work with these same stakeholders to change agricultural practices so that they will be more resilient to elephants, as well as more economically beneficial, improving livelihoods over the long-term.
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