Sri Lanka begins wildlife census to tackle crop damage

Sri Lanka conducts wildlife census to manage monkey, peacock, and giant squirrel populations causing agricultural losses.

Sri Lanka began a wildlife census on Saturday (March 15, 2025) to count monkeys, peacocks and giant squirrels, aiming to manage their populations as farmers complain of agricultural losses.

Agriculture accounts for 8% of the country's economy and employs 8.1 million people, government data showed.

Sri Lanka is the fourth-largest coconut products exporter globally and produces about 3 billion cashew and other nuts annually, according to the Exports Development Board (EDB).

But coconut production, along with vegetable and fruit cultivation, has been hit due to crop destruction by monkeys, peacocks and giant squirrels, a top government official said.

"The problem has become so bad people are giving up farming. We are losing about 20% of total agricultural production. It is estimated that 90 million coconuts are lost every year," Namal Karunaratne, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, told Reuters.

"The census is the first step to understanding the density of these animals in farming areas so we can formulate proper policies to manage them."

The census comes after an incident in February when a monkey caused a nationwide blackout and power cuts lasting for three days.