Environment Minister Dhammika Patabendi declared the proposed Hambantota Elephant Management Reserve “no longer an option but an urgent national necessity,” warning that decades of habitat destruction have pushed Sri Lanka’s elephants and rural communities into dangerous confrontation.

Speaking at a media briefing convened to raise public awareness of the reserve, Dr. Patabendi blamed “political interference, illegal land grabs, deforestation and unplanned development” for shrinking forests and blocking elephant corridors. The Hambantota region, he said, had become one of the country’s most critical conflict hotspots due to aggressive land conversion and irresponsible exploitation of natural ecosystems.

“Sri Lanka is witnessing an environmental tragedy unfold before our eyes. Forests are shrinking, elephant corridors are being blocked, and wild elephants are being forced into villages and farmlands in search of food and water,” the Minister said.

He described the situation as a “national environmental emergency” with direct implications for food security and rural safety. The proposed reserve would serve as a scientifically managed buffer to protect vital elephant corridors, regulate land use and reduce deadly encounters between communities and elephants.

“The elephant is paying the price for human greed and shortsighted planning. If we continue to destroy forests in the name of development without ecological discipline, the consequences will be catastrophic not only for wildlife, but also for people,” Patabendi warned.

Sri Lanka continues to record alarming numbers of elephant and human deaths annually from the conflict. 108 wild elephants have died so far in 2026, and three people were killed in wild-elephant attacks in April alone. The Court of Appeal has also been seized of the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s chronic failure on conflict-mitigation fences. Patabendi has separately driven a Vesak-week ban on polythene and plastic at religious dansal sites as part of a wider ministry-led environmental push.

The Environment Ministry is expected to initiate further scientific consultations before moving ahead with implementation, the Minister said.

Source: The Island.