PARLIAMENT

Hon. Gnanamuththu Srineshan,—To ask the Minister of Environment,— (1)

(a) Will he inform this House —

(i) of the extent of forests in Sri Lanka in acres;

(ii) of the extent of forests having an environment conducive for wild elephants to live, within the extent as aforesaid;

(iii) of the number of wild elephants living in such forests;

(iv) whether he is aware that wild elephants destroy humans and their properties; and

(v) of the number of persons attacked by wild elephants, the number of those who were killed by the attacks; and the number of wild elephants that were killed in the elephant-human conflicts from the year 2020 to the year 2024, separately?

(b) Will he also inform this House —

(i) whether he is aware that an elephant population that overwhelms the forest cover is in existence; and

(ii) whether the wild elephant population has to be controlled so that it is proportionate with the forest cover;

(iii) if so, of the mechanisms available for it;

(iv) whether they will be implemented in future; and

(v) if so, whether there is any methodology for controlling the destruction caused by wild elephants?

(c) If not, why?