By Salik Ansar | Project Manager
We're excited to share the latest updates on our efforts to promote coexistence between humans and nature's majestic creatures on GivingTuesday! Supporting wildlife conservation with a donation today helps us achieve an even greater impact, as GlobalGiving is offering bonus incentives. Your ongoing support has been crucial in advancing our mission to foster harmony between local communities and the environment. Thank you for making a difference!
Plus, Wildlife Conservation Day is coming up on December 4th - making this week even more meaningful for protecting our big-eared ecological engineers!
Sri Lanka is entering a hopeful new chapter with a newly formed government following the recent elections. The economy shows signs of stability and resilience, despite the challenges of high taxes and rising living costs. This renewed sense of determination inspires optimism for conservation efforts. With the political situation stabilizing, we are encouraged that delays caused by the previous uncertainty will soon be resolved, allowing for meaningful progress in our mission. In addition, the new government has promised some key changes in conservation efforts. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for Sri Lanka!
Alternative Crop Project: Progress and Crop Selection
We’re excited to share more about our progress with our Alternative Crop Project, which continues to grow steadily. The farmers' enthusiasm and cooperation have been instrumental in helping us move forward and launch the initiative's next phase. Previously, we shared that all 300 farmers received cash crops, a step they greatly appreciated, as it has provided much-needed support during challenging times.
As of the end of November, we’ve successfully initiated our alternative crop distribution! We selected 40 farmers—those who also took part in our behavioral study—to participate in this phase. Of these, 20 will plant alternative crops of moringa, local orange (which is slightly bitter), or lime; while the remaining 20 will form a control group, receiving a financial stipend to continue growing their regular crops. This dual approach will allow us to better understand the impact of alternative crops on livelihoods, communities and human-elephant conflicts.
Each of the 20 farms has provided 1/2 acres each for the alternative crops. This will provide space for the 3610 tree saplings the team have now distributed! Big changes are afoot!
Research Update: Behavioral Study
Our PhD student Sateesh Venkatesh received a prestigious Fulbright-National Geographic Award! Sateesh leads our elephant behavior research, collaborating with 40 dedicated farmers. Using camera and audio recorders, the field team monitors elephant behavior in response to the farmers' new agricultural cropping practices; as well as those in our control group who continue to grow their traditional crops.
The first phase of the study concluded in June, and the data is currently being analyzed at the University of San Diego, USA. Watch this space as the second round of the study is set to begin in January 2025, with Sateesh joining us in December for a nine-month field research period. We look forward to the exciting insights this next phase will bring!
Biodiversity Study
Building on the preliminary visual study conducted in June, the biodiversity team carried out an intensive 5-night survey in July across six selected agricultural sites. Led by Mr. Sudesh from the University of Kelaniya, camera traps and Sherman traps helped document small animal populations across 18 farmlands, with three transects per site.
Our rigorours biodiversity survey hopes to capture the agricultural landscape's diverse range of life, as well as to monitor any changes our project may have. Weather and climatic conditions were tracked using onsite instruments and supplemented with data from the meteorological department. Additionally, the team conducted random sampling of soil, leaf litter, and invertebrates within selected areas near UWNP, alongside systematic sampling of fauna and flora along designated transect lines.
Remarkable diversity has already been noted over the 5 nights, with 21 reptile species, 13 mammal species, plus numerous insects and amphibians. Full report forthcoming from Mr. Sudesh! What a lovely treat for the festive season!
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