UK assists Sri Lanka to introduce Insurance schemes for farmers affected by elephants

In an attempt to tackle the threats to both humans and elephants, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the DWLC, the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS), Insurance companies, NGOs and Local Government joined hands to seek a sustainable solution through the LIFE project.

It is aimed at introducing Private Insurance schemes to compensate farmers affected by wild elephant attacks.

The project was introduced by Paul Steele, Chief Economist of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), UK. The project is funded by Darwin Initiative of the UK’s Department for Environment and Food and Rural Affairs.

The LIFE project aims to “develop and test private, commercial insurance schemes to reduce the impact of HWC on women and men and small farmers in Sri Lanka and Kenya.

It will develop cost effective private insurance schemes in a couple of provinces, to verify claims and to pay farmers as early as possible and to ensure that they receive payments on time.

The Livelihood Insurance from Elephants (Live) Project with funding from the Darwin initiative of the UK’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs aims to assess over three years the feasibility of improving insurance as tool for reducing the impacts of human wildlife conflict in Sri Lanka and Kenya in collaboration with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) U.K.

Data shows that during 2011-2015 period elephant attacks has led to 414 human deaths and 6320 incidents of property related damage in Sri Lanka.

“We have also lost 1147 elephants during the same period on an average of 230-240 a year. The break down is about 4 elephants a week which is very alarming said Dr. Dushni Weerakoon the Executive Director of the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka at a workshop held at the in Colombo on “Livelihood Insurance from Elephants in Sri Lanka.”

According to available data ,elephant population in Sri Lanka has been declined by 50 percent during the past sixty to seventy years. There are only 2500-4000- elephants considered to be wild.

Paul Steele of the Chief Economist International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) UK said the overall objective of the project is to develop and test private commercial insurance schemes to reduce the impact on human wildlife conflict involving men and women and small farmers in Sri Lanka and also in Kenya.

He said about 230 elephants are killed by farmers each year in Sri Lanka which is quite significant.

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