Economic Determinants of Human–Elephant Conflict: Evidence from Lunugamwehera, Sri Lanka

Human-elephant conflict (HEC) is a serious socioeconomic and environmental issue in rural Sri Lanka, particularly among smallholder farming communities. This study examines the factors influencing household economies resulting from wild elephant assaults in the Lunugamwehera Divisional Secretariat Division of the Hambantota District. A mixed-method research strategy was used, with both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Purposive sampling was used to select 239 households for data collection, with key informant interviews and field observations supplementing the process. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to investigate the relationship between household economy and eight independent variables such as agricultural damage, property damage, adaptive measures, policy implementation, health measures, socioeconomic status, psychological stress, and habitat degradation. The findings demonstrated that agricultural damage, property damage, health measures, socioeconomic position, and psychological stress, habitat degradation all had significant exposure on the household economic loss. Adaptive measures and policy implementation were found to be statistically insignificant, demonstrating the limited effectiveness of current mitigation and institutional mechanisms. The findings highlight the complex relationship between human livelihoods, environmental deterioration, and wildlife behavior in influencing rural economic resilience. To reduce economic losses and promote sustainable coexistence between humans and elephants in conflict-prone areas of Sri Lanka, the study recommends strengthening community-based mitigation strategies, improving policy enforcement, diversifying livelihoods, and restoring elephant habitats.