The Government is moving to fully operationalise the Hambantota Elephant Management Reserve, nearly five years after it was first gazetted, as part of a broader effort to introduce a structured policy framework to address human–elephant conflict, manage domesticated elephants, and strengthen conservation planning, Environment Minister Dr Dammika Patabendi said.
Addressing the media at the Government Information Department yesterday (18), he said the Reserve, gazetted in 2021, had remained without the necessary supporting regulations until recently. Those regulations were finalised and issued through a Gazette notification on 30 January.
He said a management committee will now be appointed to oversee implementation, with future development approvals and conflict mitigation measures to be guided by its recommendations.
He acknowledged that there had been no consistent national policy framework on elephant management, noting that although an action plan prepared in 2020 existed, “it was not fully enforced through legal mechanisms.” He said the current process aimed to correct that gap through updated regulations and a more structured decision-making system.
A broader policy review is also under way covering the use of domesticated elephants, including their deployment in cultural and religious processions during the annual perahera season. He said this area had remained “challenging” for a prolonged period due to the absence of a stable and enforceable national policy.
He said several Cabinet papers related to elephant management had been reconsidered, and some earlier proposals had been annulled with Cabinet approval, paving the way for a revised policy approach.
A committee comprising experts and relevant stakeholders is expected to be appointed to develop comprehensive recommendations on conservation, cultural use, and conflict mitigation strategies.
The Government also plans to strengthen institutional capacity in elephant conservation. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is expected to be developed into a dedicated research and breeding centre, shifting towards a more science-based conservation model.
Responding to questions on allegations that predecessors of the Ministry and the Department of Wildlife Conservation had allowed development along elephant corridors, he said unauthorised or policy-deviating projects had taken place within elephant movement routes in the district, contributing to conflict pressures in the past. However, he said the Government is now working to address these issues and restore regulated land-use practices within sensitive corridors.
Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody said the elephant management reserve concept was introduced in response to longstanding concerns raised by farming communities in the region. He noted that formal regulations governing the Reserve were only recently gazetted in January, enabling its operational phase to begin.
The Hambantota Reserve forms part of a wider elephant corridor linking Yala, Bundala and Udawalawe National Parks, making the area a critical zone for both elephant movement and human settlement and agricultural activity.