Sri Lankan Advocate Inspires Hope

In late November, Cyclone Ditwah devastated Sri Lanka, washing away roads and bridges, submerging agricultural lands, and claiming the lives of more than 480 people. The extreme weather and flooding cut off access to roads, bringing life to a standstill. Amidst the national crisis, Sri Lankan attorney Samadhi Hansani was preparing to depart for her ELAW Fellowship.

“It was a career highlight to have my paper selected for presentation at the 21st International Elephant Conservation and Research Symposium, followed by plans to travel to Eugene to work with the ELAW Team,” says Samadhi, who at the last minute was able to board her flight. “This moment powerfully reminded me why our work matters and the urgency of finding lasting, just solutions to the climate crisis.”

Samadhi has served as Legal Officer at the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) since 2021. Her ELAW Fellowship commenced last week at the symposium at the Ft. Worth Zoo where she presented her research paper: “Moving Beyond the Conflict: Evaluating Elephant Conservation for Lasting Coexistence in Sri Lanka.”

Her presentation sparked lots of interest from elephant experts around the world who she is now connected with to advance her work.

“I spent my childhood in Hunugallewa, Ehetuawewa, a northwestern province of Sri Lanka with a significant elephant population, including tuskers,” says Samadhi. “We lived peacefully alongside these animals, sharing the land and allowing the elephants sufficient space for free movement. Since then, human elephant conflict has increased due to encroachment on elephant habitat and corridors as well as land grabbing for commercial agriculture.”

In response to a case filed by CEJ to protect elephants, the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka accepted a proposal prepared by CEJ to mitigate human elephant conflict. Unfortunately, implementation of these measures has been significantly delayed. “Samadhi is now in Eugene, working closely with the ELAW team to advance her efforts to protect elephants and other wildlife, address marine pollution, and pursue solutions for Sri Lankans confronting the existential threats posed by climate change, wetland degradation, habitat destruction, and mining.

Samadhi has worked hard to build her capacity to protect the environment and the environmental rights of citizens through law in Sri Lanka. She participated in the Reunión Anual de ELAW 2024 in February and later that year traveled to Dhaka, Bangladesh, to learn from ELAW partners at the Asociación de abogados ambientales de Bangladesh. She said: “It was life-changing to be an eyewitness to environmental struggles in Bangladesh and BELA’s impressive work.” Read more about Samadhi’s Global Exchange Fellowship in Bangladesh aquí.

“I hope to use and strengthen my legal knowledge through this fellowship to advance environmental justice beyond jurisdictional boundaries, contribute to global solidarity among environmental defenders, and work toward lasting, rights-based solutions for the planet,” says Samadhi.

Maggie Keenan
Director de Asociaciones y Comunicaciones
Alianza Mundial de Derecho Ambiental