PROJECT ORANGE
ELEPHANT
Saving Elephants by Helping
People….
Ravi Corea
Founder/President
Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society
The issue:
Human-Elephant
Conflict (HEC) in
Sri Lanka…..
…Contributes to….
• Rural poverty
• Social marginalization
• Food security
• Increased human mortality
• Nutrition and hygiene imbalances
• Creating obstacles to education
• Segregating families
• Gender issues
• Declining quality of life
Economic impacts
• The extent of crop and property damage
caused to farmers by elephants is Rs.1,121.42
million (~US$10 million) per annum (Bandara
& Tisdell, 2004),
HEC creates….
An uncertain future for the Sri Lankan elephant.
HEC has led to….
The killing of 225 elephants annually
Habitat loss
Habitat fragmentation and degradation
Conflicts with people
Illegal capture of baby elephants
Current elephant population is estimated to be <5,000 in the wild.
Most agriculture practices are detrimental and incompatible for elephants &
people to live together
Elephants & Human Deaths 2005-2010
250
228
224
Number of Deaths
200
227
189
163
150
123
100
77
79
72
71
61
50
0
2004
50
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Year
Source: DWC 2011 Survey Report
2010
2011
What is the solution?
Sri Lanka Wildlife
Conservation Society
Vision
To help protect and conserve the diminishing
biodiversity of Sri Lanka and to make the local
and international community aware of its
endangered status
Mission
To enable communities to balance ecosystem
protection and economic development by
pioneering a model for sustainable
conservation.
The CHALLENGE!*
• The main contributing factor for HEC is agriculture .
• Yet the solution to mitigate HEC to a certain extent
has to be based on agriculture.
• The alternative option of trying to change the
traditional lifestyles of a vast farmer population
would be impossible.
*To identify a crop that was not attractive to elephants but
had a good market demand.
PROJECT ORANGE
ELEPHANT
Since 2006 SLWCS has been systematically evaluating cultivating oranges to resolve
HEC.
AIM…
To develop an alternative sustainable income for farmers who suffer frequently from
crop raiding elephants.
Oranges is not a fruit that is consumed by elephants and it also has a good market
demand.
The Orange Orchards that are being created will help to save elephants and alleviate
poverty by providing people with sustainable livelihoods.
Why Bibile Sweet?
Bibile Sweet (Citrus sinensis (L) Osbeck) is a grafted local orange
variety.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Grows well in marginalized land and does not need
frequent irrigation.
Bears fruit within one and half to three years
Each tree can provide close to 300 fruits per season
Each tree has a fruiting cycle of two seasons per year
Has a good market demand
Higher cost to profit ratio than cultivating rice
Elephants don’t eat the fruit or damage the trees
The cost & profit from rice cultivation
Activity
Cost in Rs.
Land preparation
steps 1,2,3
23,600
Seed cost
5,200
Seed planting
4,800
Fertilizer
40,000
Agrochemicals:
(Weedicide, Pesticide,
Insecticide, etc.)
5,900
Harvesting
24,300
Transport
3,000
Other expenses (this
is for flashlight
batteries, bulbs,
kerosene oil, tea,
sugar, etc.)
10,000
Total Expenditure
Rs. 116,800
Average Yield per season:
4,400 Kg
Government approved price
per 1 kg of paddy:
Rs. 30
Income from one season:
Rs. 132,000
Market prices for oranges
• Retail prices of oranges in local
markets:
Market
Retail price per fruit
Hettipola – 15 km*
Rs. 15
Matale – 72 km*
Rs. 20
Dambulla - 65 km*
Rs. 20
Kandy - 90 km*
Rs. 30
Colombo - 265 km*
Rs. 50
Averaged Market Price
Rs. 27
*The distance from the project site
Cost & profits from 10 orange trees
Activity
Cost
Orange Details
Value
Trees
10
Fruits per tree
300
0
Averaged
market price
Rs. 27
Harvesting
0
Harvest
300 x 10 = 3,000
Transport
0
Rs. 27 x 3,000
Other expenses
Rs. 2,000
Estimates value
of crop
Total Expenditure
Rs. 3,000
Income
Rs. 81,000
Land preparation
step .
Rs. 1000
Plant cost
0
Fertilizer
Rice Income vs Orange Income
Rice
Oranges
Cost to
Cultivate
Income
Profit
Cost to
Cultivate
Income
Profit
Rs,
116,800
Rs.
132,000
Rs.
15, 200
Rs.
3,000
Rs.
81,000
Rs.
78,000
Cost benefits between rice & orange cultivating
1800000
1600000
1400000
1200000
Expenditure
1000000
income
800000
600000
400000
200000
0
rice
orange
Simplicity is the KEY to success
• Only three main elements to the project.
• No complex technology involved.
• Uses existing “Skills set” to do something
totally new, possible and beneficial.
• Can be sustained by community resources.
• Sustainable, renewable and cost effective.
What’s next???
Flow Chart to Sustainability
Citrus Crop
Introduction
Planning
Distribution of tools,
training and citrus plants
Develop and launch citrus buyback program linked to
external markets
Project Monitoring & Evaluation
Farmer training, education and feedback incorporation
Present
Fruit bearing anticipated
2016
2017
2018
Detailed Approach*
Activity Duration
2015
July- Oct.Sept
Dec.
2016
2017
2018
Q1&2 Q3&4 Q1&2 Q3&4 Q1&2 Q3&4
Project Orange Elephant
0.0 Farmer training, education & feedback
0.1 Regular community awareness meetings
0.2 Regular citrus-growing best practice training workshops & coaching
1.0 Citrus crop introduction planning
1.1 Farmer selection survey development, implementation and analysis
1.2 Develop and distribute training materials
2.0 Distribution of tools & citrus plants
2.1 Identify & purchase grafted orange plant supplies
2.2 Distribute plants amongst selected farmers
3.0 Develop & launch citrus buy-back program
3.1 Develop marketing strategy (both for farmers and for re-sale)
3.2 Identify sustainable distribution channel(s)
3.3 Develop marketing collateral
3.4 Launch and manage buy-back program
4.0 Project monitoring & evaluation
4.1 Pre-evaluation farmer survey
4.2 Examination of farmlands and documentation of observations
4.3 Solicit customer feedback and adapt strategy
*Timeline is demonstrative and subject to change
Anticipated
fruit bearing
THANK YOU…