21 August 2014 Last updated at 16:52
By Siva Parameswaran
BBC Tamil service
An unprecedented drought in Sri Lanka is exacerbating the longstanding potential for conflict between humans an elephants, reports suggest.
But a "fence" of palmyra trees is starting to yield success.
With forest vegetation and water holes vanishing, hundreds of elephants are reported to have approached settlements in search of food and water.
Sri Lanka has been dealing with the issue for years, and it has led to the deaths of people and elephants.
An average of 50 humans and 160 elephant deaths has occurred annually, statistics reveal.
The palmyra fence is an attempt to find a sustainable solution to human-elephant conflict.
Researchers have told the BBC that the fence has been successfully tested in Sri Lanka.
The option is cost effective, durable and sustainable, Ranasinghe Perera, head of the programme Practical Action in Sri Lanka, told the BBC Tamil Service.
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