Action Steps:

The project will be broken into four main activities: (1) Background bibliographic and geospatial information and data gathering; (2) geospatial layer (climate, vegetation, habitat, biogeography, hydrology)   construction and testing;  (3) output generation and validation (4) report writing and delivery of results. In the Phase One, we will research, gather, and compile digital geospatial database elements and bibliographic information relating to existing projects and comparable studies within the field. Drs. Fernando and Sukumar will consult with other Asian elephant scientists and managers to overview and detail the patterns and processes driving elephant ecology and habitat affinity. During Phase Two,   research and geospatial datasets will be developed and tested to assess (a) climate variability (b) natural resource (land cover, habitat, biogeography, hydrology) patterns and (c) elephant range dynamics. Phase Three will consist of outputting and validating a series of what‑if scenarios, assessing the potential impact of climate variability on habitat and elephant presence. Finally, in Phase Four we will produce and disseminate a research report of our findings and deliver the methodological framework our Sri Lankan governmental collaborators and research agencies and the wildlife community at large. A Final Report, of course, also will be delivered to IRI administrators at the completion of the project.