%0 Journal Article %T Managing elephants in Sri Lanka: where we are and where we need to be %J - %D 2015 %R 10.4038/cjsbs.v44i1.7336 %X Asian elephants are ¡®endangered¡¯ but come into significant conflict with humans. Sri Lanka holds an important position in relation to Asian elephants, both in terms of species conservation and human-elephant conflict mitigation. Historical aspects of the two main conservation agencies and lack of coordination between them has prevented a landscape level holistic approach to conservation in general and elephants in particular. The primary objective of elephant management is human-elephant conflict mitigation and secondarily elephant conservation. Many human-elephant conflict mitigation activities are ineffective and in some cases cause its escalation and wider spread. Others are extremely detrimental to elephant conservation. Effective human-elephant conflict mitigation and elephant conservation requires a paradigm change. Elephant management needs to be based on science and evidence rather than outdated beliefs and false assumptions. Unless immediate and effective remedial measures are taken, human-elephant conflict will continue to escalate and the elephant population continue to decline. Ceylon Journal of Science (Bio. Sci.) 44 (1) : 1-11, 201 %K Asian elephant %K Human-elephant conflict %K Conservation %U https://cjsbs.sljol.info/articles/10.4038/cjsbs.v44i1.7336/