Welcoming panelists and presenters to the International Research Symposium on Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism, held on Friday , Secretary to the Ministry of Environment Dr. Anil Jasinghe said that elephants should not be confined within wildlife parks but allowed a free range while villages and crops should be protected by electric fencing.
He said that the villagers and farmers will protect themselves by maintaining the fences, earn an additional income by providing services to tourists in which way Human Elephant Conflict would be mitigated.
Dr Jasinghe said that an elephant roaming in its natural habitat is a gold mine because that is what tourists want to see rather than see elephants parading the streets or in a zoo.
He said that tourists are attracted to Sri Lanka for its natural environment and biodiversity and questioned whether any tourists would want to visit a country where its pristine environment was polluted and there was a serious loss of biodiversity. He reiterated that biodiversity loss can lead to extinction of fauna, flora and even result in ceasing of the eco systems.
Over 70 research papers were to be presented at the symposium which was organised jointly by the Ministry of Environment and the University of Colombo.
The Keynote address was delivered by Vidya Jothi Emeritus Professor Sarath Kotagama while Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo Senior Prof. H. D. Karunarathne and Symposium Chair Prof. D. A. C. Suranga Silva addressed the morning session.