This idyllic scene is typical of the patchwork of subsistence farms surrounding Uda Walawe National Park, Sri Lanka. Rice and bananas are staple crops, together with vegetables. Unfortunately, these same crops are highly attractive to wildlife. // Source: Shermin de Silva
Small-scale mechanization exists here side-by-side with the forest. // Source: Shermin de Silva
A young girl proudly shows off her family's paddy fields. // Source: Shermin de Silva
A hard-working farmer. // Source: Shermin de Silva
Modest homes like these on the fringes of wilderness can sometimes be demolished by elephants. // Source: Shermin de Silva
A functional well. // Source: Shermin de Silva
An elephant venturing beyond the national park falls victim to an abandoned well. // Source: Shermin de Silva
Back yard cultivations are easily damaged by elephants. // Source: Shermin de Silva
An adult male with human-inflicted wounds on his forehead. // Source: Shermin de Silva
Just a slim thread of electricity separates the elephant from the casual bystanders. The nonchalance both species exhibit here hides deeper conflicts between them, but at the same time suggests a more peaceful coexistence may be within reach if each accepts the other as part of the landscape. // Source: Shermin de Silva