Trunks & Leaves

Trunks & Leaves is focused on evidence-based conservation of Asian elephants and their habitats through science, education, policy and advocacy. Our goal is to raise awareness about Asian elephants and their habitats, locally and globally, compiling resources and tools for education, research and conservation. Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are large-brained, long-lived animals with mysterious social lives that we are only just beginning to understand. They are also keystone species that modify and 'engineer' their landscapes in ways that affect countless animal and plant communities. Asian elephants and humans have existed in each others' company for thousands of years. Yet today they are classified as endangered under the IUCN Red List of threatened species. While conservation funding typically encourages short term interventions, we are interested in maintaining a long-term perspective. Our focus is on the status of Asian elephants in the wild, not on captive welfare. How do human activities affect elephants and vice versa? We currently focus on Sri Lanka, with partnerships and collaborators elsewhere in Asia.