Best Site Selection Approach Using GIS for Asian Elephants Habitat Enrichment Program in Yala (Ruhuna) National Park, Sri Lanka

Abstract

This paper proposes to develop a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based best site selection method for Asian elephant (Elephas maximus maximus) habitat enrichment program in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka. Despite being nominated as an endangered species, Sri Lankan elephant population decreased rapidly due to loss, degradation and fragmentation of their habitats in recent decades. A proper habitat enrichment program is necessary for long term conservation of them and mitigates the human-elephant conflict in adjacent areas. Other of the park wildlife also will be benefitted from such program, like leopards, deers, crocodiles, waterfowls and many other species. In this study some basic applications of GIS were used appropriately to suggest the most suitable places for habitat enrichment program. ArcMap was used to organize, analyze and visualize the spatial information about the park and assist in the site selection and decision making process. A Geo-database with spatial information about the park, zoning, land use pattern and rivers and water tank system were created and taken in to ArcMap as layers. Constraint maps with buffers were used to eliminate the unsuitable places for the program by overlaying. The output results showed few places which are good for the placement of habitat enrichment program. It is an accurate, simple and efficient way to help the decision making process for the park managers. The results can be useful for the park managers in the conservation of elephants and this method is beneficial for wildlife management even in elsewhere.