On 27 January 2022, ‘Beyond Borders’, a virtual event showcasing and discussing private sector-led efforts contributing towards the protection of critical ecosystems through a livelihood-centered approach, was organized by Biodiversity Sri Lanka (BSL), on behalf of the ‘Supporting Wilpattu National Park and Influence Zone Management in Sri Lanka’ project supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and being implemented by the Department of Wildlife Conservation in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
The event focussed on proven best practices and lessons learnt from the project, of which the overall objective is to better orient the management of the Wilpattu National Park (WNP) and its influence zone towards the development needs of local communities. Producer groups and partnerships are strong elements when strategizing market accessibility for small agricultural producers. Small-scale farmers engaged in the cultivation of cashew and Other Field Crops (OFCs), as well as vegetable and fruit farmers in the WNP’s influence zone, have been mobilized to strengthen market linkages with large-scale private sector agribusinesses.
Providing the opening remarks at the event, Director – Protected Area Management of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Mr. Manjula Amararathna stated that “Since the establishment of the DWC in 1949, up to the year 2000, the DWC led a policeman’s role, prohibiting and punishing those who extracted natural resources from Protected Areas (PA) of the country. However, since 2000, the Department’s outlook and attitude towards conservation issues changed with the rest of the world, with the belief that conservation actions should be implemented in collaboration with the surrounding communities, and thereby changed its strategies to suit the new norm. Therewith, the DWC engages in several eco-development activities through its outreach programmes with the objectives of obtaining proactive involvement of the communities towards conservation, reducing the communities’ dependence on resources extracted from PAs and assisting communities of PA buffer zones to improve their socio-economic status through partnership building. Activities being implemented by the project in collaboration with BSL help secure these objectives through various initiatives”.
The Director of Forbes and Walker Fine Foods (Pvt.) Ltd, Mr. Sharada Sosa, delivered a keynote address on ‘The Story of Cashew: Farmers, Middlemen and Escapeways’, while Manager of Dilmah Conservation, Ms. Shamodi Nanayakkara, spoke on ‘Women-led Community Skills Development in the Influence Zones of High Conservation Value Forests’. The event also featured diverse and eminent panelists representing the business sector, science and conservation education, and academia, and was moderated by Advisor to BSL, Ms. Shiranee Yasaratne. Panelists included Lecturer – Applied Entomology, Department of Applied Entomology at University of Rajarata, Dr. Anura Indrajith; Deputy Director Visitor Services Management, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Ms. Chandani Wilson; Consultant/Agricultural and Business Development Specialist of BSL, Mr. L. P. D. Dayananda; and Technical Head, Fresh Produce, John Keells PLC, Mr. Nirmal Hettiarachchi.
A network of over 85 private sector members, BSL has been conducting learning events, roundtable discussions and technical capacity building programs on various topics in line with its objective to promote national cooperation and the exchange of ideas and information relating to biodiversity conservation. The scope of this objective was broadened further recently to encompass a wider variety of topics which have influence and impacts on as well as depend on ecosystems and the environment at large.
The project “Supporting Wilpattu National Park and Influence Zone Management in Sri Lanka” is implemented by the Department of Wildlife Conservation of the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project combines the conservation efforts within the Wilpattu National Park with the sustainable development of its influence zones. The project aims to improve Wilpattu National Park’s management capacity with emphasis on the Park Operations, Environmental and Visitor Use Programmes, in technical and specialist terms, in support of the Wilpattu National Park Management Plan (2019-2024) and targeting to improve the livelihood activities of the local communities, in the terrestrial and marine influence zones of the Wilpattu National park.
