Sri Lanka’s struggle with conservation is an ongoing saga of the delicate balance between economic ambitions (or rather, stability) and the need to safeguard its natural heritage amidst an increasingly-concerning triple planetary crisis (the threat of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation poses profound threats to our planet and all its inhabitants each day).
Amidst this backdrop, 2024 emerges as a pivotal year for conservation. As we struggle to rebuild following our national crisis, plastic pollution, global frameworks, and economic strains cast a shadow on the trajectory of conservation and it is more imperative than ever not to discount the impact we have on our environment and to take steps to conserve it.
The Sunday Morning Brunch reached out to distinguished voices in the field of conservation to explore what we, as the general public, should think about when it comes to protecting the natural power and beauty of Sri Lanka.
2024 needs to be a year of action and collaboration: Jehan CanagaRetna
Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) President Jehan CanagaRetna outlined some key initiatives that the WNPS hoped to focus on in 2024 to mitigate some of Sri Lanka’s biggest conservation issues.
One pressing concern on the agenda is addressing the complex issue of Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) and CanagaRetna highlighted that the WNPS would continue to engage with communities and seek collaborative solutions while also actively participating in the implementation of the National Action Plan on HEC.
Illegal land grabs also pose a persistent threat to Sri Lanka’s natural treasures, and fighting this practice will also be a focal point of WNPS’s conservation efforts, with CanagaRetna stressing on the importance of halting deforestation in State forests and protected lands, both on terra firma as well as beneath the waves.
Mangrove habitats, vital for biodiversity and coastal resilience, will also take prominence in WNPS’s conservation vision for 2024, with WNPS working not just to protect, but to actively regenerate these critical areas in line with their pivotal role in maintaining ecological balance. Mangroves play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance by serving as vital coastal buffers, providing habitat for diverse species, mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration, and safeguarding against natural disasters such as storm surges and erosion.
A noteworthy aspect of WNPS’s approach is the collaborative spirit with Governmental institutions. CanagaRetna underscored the importance of working hand-in-hand with authorities to devise effective and sustainable solutions for pressing conservation challenges.
A focus on collaborative solutions and community engagement will also drive WNPS’s activities for 2024, with CanagaRetna sharing that conservation needed to be collaborative to succeed and that all parties, from the individual to the private sector to Governmental institutions, needed to work together to devise effective and sustainable conservation strategies and solutions.
We cannot lose sight of global goals: Prof. Sevvandi Jayakody
Wayamba University Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Chair Professor Sevvandi Jayakody, whose work focuses on coastal ecosystem management and policy and the impacts of human disturbance on ecosystem processes and functions, shed light on the crucial importance of global frameworks and where Sri Lanka fits in as we step into the new year.
Prof. Jayakody also encouraged the public to consider alternative conservation methods, highlighting the concept of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs). For example, the WNPS has pioneered a project called PLANT, which encourages landowners to donate land to conservation or to enter into long-term agreements with conservation entities to reforest or conserve existing land, while encouraging NGOs and communities to explore diverse ways to contribute. Another example Prof. Jayakody shared was a private landowner rehabilitating their land of their own accord and transforming it from a dry zone chena into a secondary forest.
While noting that she was not a proponent of traditional resolutions, Prof. Jayakody shared that Sri Lanka, like the rest of the world, had made environmental commitments that it needed to meet. For instance, the environmental goals from the Global Biodiversity Framework defined at the Kunming-Montreal Convention Global Biological Diversity Framework set very ambitious global targets like 30% conservation of land, sea and inland waters, 30% restoration of degraded ecosystems, halving the introduction of invasive species, and $ 500 billion/year reduction in harmful subsidies. Sri Lanka has its role to play in achieving these targets, despite its own struggles.
And here, Prof. Jayakody emphasised the need to shift focus from blaming external factors to building more proactive individual and collective efforts. “We should not just look at the negatives and continue blaming the Government. We should think about what we can do as individuals, and if individual efforts are collectively looked at, I’m sure we can do more wonders than any Government can do,” she said, adding that Sri Lanka’s economic turmoil should be looked at and recognised as a double-edged sword.
While economic struggles may lead to unconventional food choices and a lack of regard for natural resources in times of scarcity, she highlighted that the intertwined impact of economic and climate turmoil must not be overlooked, emphasising the urgency to address the ongoing triple planetary crisis.
Being politically aware is crucial: Jayantha Wijesingha
With 2024 set to be a challenging year on almost all fronts, climate change consultant and Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka Co-Founder Jayantha Wijesingha drew attention to the impact the economic crisis was likely to have on conservation and cautioned the public to be mindful of behind-the-scenes political manoeuvring on Sri Lanka’s natural resources.
“This year is going to be economically very challenging for people and there is room for politicians to try to use these challenges as an opportunity to fool people and exploit them,” he said, noting that a trend he had observed was that economic difficulties often led to the exploitation of natural resources – both on an individual level and on a political and policy level.
Wijesingha also questioned the credibility of Governmental claims and plans regarding climate initiatives, citing the discrepancy between political appointments and the practical expertise needed for effective conservation and underscoring the urgency of addressing corruption, policy decisions, and the need for officials with a genuine understanding of conservation principles.
The political solutions to the economic crisis – like higher taxes and interest rates – have the potential to push individuals towards environmentally-harmful practices like sand mining and river mining in order to sustain or supplement incomes and with this comes the potential to disregard existing conservation laws, which in Wijesingha’s experience is often enabled by politicians influenced by their own agendas.
Wijesingha shared that 2023 had also been marked by various incidents of environmental exploitation, such as unauthorised heavy machinery use in protected areas, despite media coverage and public awareness. With 2024 seeing Sri Lanka still very much in recovery from the economic crisis, Wijesingha stressed on the importance of not just each individual holding themselves accountable when it comes to taking part in activities that have an environmental impact, but also in holding Government institutions accountable for enforcing conservation laws and following due process like Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) before embarking on a project.
Power lies in the individual: Prof. Dewaka Weerakoon
One key aspect of the triple planetary crisis is pollution and this aspect is one where individual action stands to make a huge impact. Speaking on the urgent need to address plastic pollution, which poses a severe threat to our oceans, conservationist and University of Colombo Department of Zoology Professor in Zoology Devaka Weerakoon said: “One of the biggest things we have to work on is reducing the use of plastics because it’s a big issue in the oceans. All the plastic we use eventually gets washed into the oceans, leading to large gyres – areas covered with floating plastic.”
However, small changes on the part of the general public can serve to drive forward vast improvement and so Prof. Weerakoon encouraged all consumers to minimise their use of single-use plastics.
Another area where the individual has the power to make a difference is energy consumption. For obvious reasons, everyone is thinking about using less energy, but aside from the positive impact of smaller bills to pay for energy use, Prof. Weerakoon stressed on the importance of energy conservation and the need to minimise electricity and water usage at household level.
“People complain about different types of energy projects, but we also should think about conserving energy. If we conserve energy, we don’t need to produce more,” he added, noting that this would invariably lead to fewer development projects for the need of supplying energy demand. He also encouraged the public to move toward solar power, which has a smaller impact on the environment than other forms of energy such as coal and hydro energy, although he did note that every type of energy source had an impact on the environment, which was why it was important to look at the source – how much energy we consumed and why – and make mindful changes to our lives, especially at the workplace.
Furthermore, Prof. Weerakoon advocated for a balanced perspective on the Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC). He urged a shift in our tolerance levels, stating: “We have a low tolerance for any animal. We need to be more tolerant. They have a right to live.” Where individuals can look to make a difference, however, is by looking at how they themselves contribute to HWC, for example, with animals at pilgrimage and tourist sites being fed by visitors, causing increased HWC in those areas because the animals become dependent on food from visitors and can become aggressive if not fed.
Prof. Weerakoon also emphasised on the critical aspect of pollinators in crop production, encouraging individuals, especially in urban settings, to grow plants that would attract butterflies and bees, addressing the global deficiency in pollinators. Prof. Weerakoon explained: “Many of our crops don’t reach their full potential because of a global deficiency in pollinators. This is a serious issue because, when yields go down, we clear more and more forests.”
As a call to action, Prof. Weerakoon stressed that every individual had the power to make a difference, from the decisions they made in their day-to-day lives to larger steps like participating in beach cleanups or volunteering for wildlife projects.