The number of elephants in the Mahaweli Zone has increased four-fold between 1993 and 2008, Environment Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.

Speaking at a book launch on elephants at the Mahaweli Centre in Colombo, he said in 1993 records indicated that there were 673 elephants, but the latest figures indicate there are 2,423 elephants.

He said that sand and elephants are the two major problems that his ministry is faced with however the sand problem is almost settled, but it is not the same when it comes to elephants.

With the highest density of elephants, Sri Lanka has only two percent of the elephant’s habitat in Asia, the Minister noted. "The number is around 1,200, but we have more than 4,000 elephants."

Ranawaka said that the prime target is to change the human-elephant conflict into human-elephant coexistence.