‘Palmyra Solution’ ending the Human-Elephant conflict

Pic credits - Maneshka Borham

The Human-Elephant conflict in Sri Lanka has been ongoing for decades. The battle over land which started mildly has now taken a much larger dimension, making it a national issue which has been adversely affecting humans as well as elephants.

‘The Palmyra solution’ is now being presented as the answer which will put an end to this long-standing conflict. Using indigenous knowledge Janathakshan, a non-profit company along with the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute and the Palmyra Development board aims to grow Palmyra trees as a bio fence that will keep elephants at bay from human settlements. These fences will supposedly replace the electric fences which are currently in operation in the future.

Encroaching

From ancient times elephants have been revered and held sacred in Sri Lanka. They have been used in religious pageants such as the famous Kandy Esala Perahera where a selected tusker would carry the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Lord Buddha.

The Asian elephant is the second largest land animal in the world and their numbers over the past few decades have plummeted in Southern and South-east Asia.

Along with the growth of civilization the demand for human settlements and agricultural lands has increased dramatically. Due to this reason there has been vast clearing of forest covers and habitat of the elephants causing the conflict between human and elephants that we see today. Elephants who only have knowledge of geographical boundaries as opposed to those set by humans end up encroaching on the land now occupied people. While westerners see elephants as gentle giants they have instilled fear in those who share their land while destroying hectares of crops. Professor in Zoology of the University of Colombo Dewaka Weerakoon puts down the issue to the slash and burn cultivation method adopted by humans. 

As statistics show since the year 1950, 1,375 human deaths and 4,225 elephant deaths have occurred due to this conflict. Going by this an average 50 human and 160 elephant deaths occur annually. Death occurring due to this tussle between humans and elephants is one of the most reported disasters in Sri Lanka during the last decade and it also accounts for the highest death rate.

While the issue affects people socially as well as economically resulting in humans abandoning settlements, it brings death to elephants and orphaning of elephant cubs. 

The problem is so far reaching that out of 25 districts in the country 18 of them suffer from it.

Way out

The Palmyra solution will see four rows of Palmyra trees being planted in a zigzag pattern with five feet gaps between the trees and eight feet gaps between the rows. Based on perennial practice of villagers and knowledge the non-profit company behind the venture Janathakshan claims this mechanism is a permanent solution to the issue. 

Strategically planted in affected areas the rows will act as a shield by blocking the entrance of elephants in to human populated areas in search for food.

“This solution is the most environmentally-friendly, economically viable solution which will give benefit to both humans and elephants,” stated Director of Janathakshan Ranasinghe Perera.

He also pointed out the tree’s resilience and sturdiness which will be able to withstand any onslaught by an elephant. The Palmyra fence supposedly has a lifespan of 80 – 100 years and is extremely cost-effective as Palmyra seeds can be found easily in the country. The Palmyra fence could also generate income to the community as the plant is said to have medicinal values and many other products could be manufactured using parts of the tree. Palmyra is also said to be a quality timber source. 

A pilot project carried out in the Kumbukoya village which saw the planting of a 1km bio fence has been successful in keeping elephants out.

However, there will be no quick fixing of the issue by this solution. The electrical fence will have to remain as the trees will take around 2-3 years to grow. And it will only be after eight years that the electrical fences can be dismantled. While a life span of an electrical fence is 12 years, the communities will have to maintain it till the trees grow in order to protect them from getting destroyed. 

Speaking to The Nation, Environmentalist and Lawyer Jagath Gunawardena was of the opinion that any bio fence would not work if the many reason for this issue is the destruction of the elephants’ habitat by humans. “Such a bio fence will have to be enforced along with enrichment of the habitat in order to work,” he stated. While the tree is resilient, there is also a possibility of the trees not growing in wet lands he further stated.

“There is no one silver bullet to solve this problem,” stated Professor Dewaka Weerakoon and claimed humans will have to be one step ahead in order to outsmart this magnificent animal.

Tested

Over the years other various methods have been tested such as digging vast ditches around villages, growing of cacti and bougainvillea, chilli and tobacco-based deterrents, growing crops that elephants don’t like and the currently accepted one of fixing electric fences.

Electric fences act as physical and psychological barriers for the animals, while being safe than barbed wire or woven wire fences. They can also be installed quickly and in a short time period.

However, they can be extremely costly to install and maintain. While in many instances elephants found a way to bypass these fences. Therefore, they have proved not to be effective. 

Will the Palmyra solution be, in fact, the final answer we have been searching for to this Human-Elephant conflict? Only time will tell.

- See more at: http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/25121-%E2%80%98palmyra-solution%E2%80%99-ending-the-human-elephant-conflict.html#sthash.hLHRXygv.dpuf

Introducing Skateboarding to Sri Lanka

Pic Courtesy of PUSH Skateboards

Skateboarding has been around for over five decades, first originating among young Californians looking for something to surf when the waves were flat.  However to Sri Lanka, it is still a somewhat novel concept, but the young and energetic duo Hash Bandara and Umanga Samarasinghe hopes to change this. Bringing their expertise in fashion and graphic designing together with skateboarding Hash and Umanga have dared to push limits. The 25-year olds are the owners of PUSH Skateboards, the first store of its kind in Sri Lanka selling skateboarding merchandise. Opening its doors in 2012 to action-craving youth and adults alike, the store offers a wide variety of merchandise ranging from boards, skating accessories and even clothing, keeping the everyday skateboarder fully equipped.

Their journey began when Hash learnt to skateboard from a friend and in turn he taught Umanga how to skateboard. “We used to skateboard the whole day, it just became a way of life for us,” says Hash speaking of how their love for skateboarding began. Having to get their skateboards from elsewhere as it was not readily available in Sri Lanka, it was then they decided to open up a skateboard store creating their own brand ‘PUSH’. The store is located at Horton Terrace, Colombo 7. While the shop features merchandise of their brand ‘PUSH’, Hash and Umanga’s ultimate aim is to establish a skateboard culture in the country.

The duo firmly believes that skateboarding can have a therapeutic effect and ease stress, especially on children. They even conduct skateboarding lessons for students of all ages once a month at various locations in the city. “At the start we only had five to six skaters, but now we have over 50 skaters of different ages attending lessons,” said Umanga, also stating the response received is over-whelming. While currently the demographic is six to 19 years olds, older enthusiasts are always welcome, they both say enthusiastically. The duo also offers individual lessons to those who are interested.

What is interesting is that they design their own skateboards using their knowledge in design. “We draw inspiration from everything around us and designers such as Rah Akaishi and Haroshi also inspire us,” says Hash. Drawing from their various inspirations they begin their creative process by coming up with a theme and sketching the idea out. Mostly influenced by South Asian art, they then develop the sketches on the computer creating the digital images of it. These images are then sent to the factory which are then heat transferred on to the boards. Their entire enterprise is innovative, vibrant and hip.

Hash and Umanga are also currently looking at expanding their venture. As the first step they will launch their online store in February this year. The duo is also looking at introducing their brand ‘PUSH’ in other Asian countries. “We also hope to introduce competitive skateboarding in Sri Lanka and are very excited about it, but for now we are concentrating on teaching kids and teens to skate, and with time we will be working on Skate competitions once they get better,” says Hash. The entrepreneurs also hope to import some ramps as Sri Lanka does not have any skating parks. “The ramps will allow everyone to skate and nail some tricks and even practice for competitions,” says Umanga. When the duo is not busy skating and designing, they also like to mountain climb, surf and listen to music.

You can check them out on their website www.push-skateboards.com or their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pushsk8boards and maybe sign up for some action packed skating lessons.

Sri Lanka’s gift of sight to the world

Sri Lanka is reported to be home to one of the largest cornea providers in the world. Cornea transplantation replaces diseased or damaged corneas restoring sight to the visually impaired. Such transplantations are possible through donation of corneal tissue. Sri Lankans has become major contributors to what is considered a meritorious act.

The Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society, a charitable organization established in 1961 and the National Eye Bank founded much later in 2011 are currently the key facilitators of the movement in the island. 

According to National Eye Bank Project Director Dr. Charith Fonseka the percentage of people who donate corneas among the Sri Lankan public are relatively high compared to other countries in the world, making one of the largest cornea providers in the world.

The Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society and the National Eye Bank have been able to collectively donate 113,055 corneas up to date. While they give first preference to patients in Sri Lanka, the surplus is provided to other countries around the world. 

A brief History

The first eye bank in Sri Lanka was founded by the late Dr. Hudson Silva. Still a medical student, it was in 1958, that Dr. Hudson launched his campaign to collect corneas. The first harvested set of corneas in 1959 was from a condemned prisoner of the Bogambara Prison. Struggling with the lacuna of technology, the founder stored corneas in his personal freezer, while sending corneas to patients worldwide in jars containing hot water.

Speaking to The Nation Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society Secretary Kalyanawathi Wickramasinghe stated the society has been able to donate 65,000 corneas internationally, while donating 46,000 locally since its inception. The Society continues to donate corneas to 57 countries and 117 cities worldwide.  

National Eye Bank

In 2011, The National Eye Bank of Sri Lanka (NEBSL) was established under a directive of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.  Last year while 1000 corneas were donated through NEBSL, 900 of them were grafted successfully, said NEBSL Manager Anuruddha Marasinghe, while giving The Nation a tour of the Lab located at the Eye Hospital premises in Colombo.  “Up to 250 – 300 of these corneas were sent abroad, some of these were for research purposes” he further stated. Singapore, Thailand, China, Pakistan and Egypt are the main receivers of corneas from Sri Lanka explained Dr. Charith Fonseka, who functions as Project Director NEBSL. NEBSL supplies corneas free of charge to local as well as patients overseas. This institute has been showered with praise by former Indian President Dr. Abdul Kalam for the services rendered. This year NEBSL is aiming to donate over 1200 corneas to patients suffering from various visual impairments.

Process

In Sri Lanka any individual over the age of 18 is able to donate their corneas, while consenting parents can donate corneas of a deceased minor. However explaining the process, Dr. Fonseka stated the permission of the next of kin is a must in order to harvest corneas, even though the individual had pledged to donate during his life time. 

Donor corneas are then tested for HIV 1 & 2, Hepatitis B & C, and VDRL to ensure they are suitable for transplantation. Such harvested corneas can be kept in preservative media for up to 14 days awaiting transplantation clarified the manager of the eye bank.

Corneal grafting can restore vision for patients suffering from corneal blindness, industrial/ chemical injuries, Fuch’s dystrophy, Lattice dystrophy and various other visual impairments.

Donation by locals

Comparatively a high percentage of Sri Lankans appear to be willing to donate their eyes. Marasinghe put this tendency down to the willingness of Sri Lankans to be giving. “Despite which religion or race one belongs to, we see as a whole Sri Lankan’s are generous and wanting to donate. This is why there are so many cornea donations in Sri Lanka” he said. While the willingness around the world to donate organs is said to be 84%, in countries such as India it is only a meager 7%. “Some belief systems and religions do not allow donating organs, so Sri Lanka is able to help these countries” he said.

The Nation spoke to an individual who has pledged to donate his eyes after death in order to gain a perception as to why Sri Lankan’s have a high tendency to donate. “I decided to donate my eyes because I believe we need to help those in need, it is part of my religious upbringing” said the 25-year-old. “It is considered to be one of the highest virtues” he further stated perhaps reiterating the explanation by Mr. Marasinghe. 

Currently the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society boasts of the donor register numbering one million and hopes to increase by 200,000 this year.

Those who wish to pledge in order to donate may do so by visiting either of the two eye banks in Sri Lanka and signing consent forms. 

Further details about donating corneas can be obtained by calling either National Eye Bank on +94 11 2672626 or Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society at Wijerama Mawatha Colombo 7 on  +94 11 2698040.