Merrill J. Fernando: philanthropist and avid wildlife enthusiast

“Merril J. Fernando’s 90 years has thus been a force for good as few other livers can ever be. Sadly, there’s only one of him. He must be cloned before we lose the recipe.” -Rohan Pethiyagoda (Recipient of Linnean Medal of Zoology)

by Tharindu Muthukumarana Author of the award-winning book,
“The Life of Last Proboscideans: Elephants”
tharinduele@gmail.com

On July 20, 2023, during the morning hours, when I got the news of the passing away of Merril Joseph Fernando, my mind got bombarded with the memories of the conservation work he had done. If someone asked me to describe Fernando in one word, I would say “philanthropist!” because it was that deed that touched me the most. His charitable work included uplifting education for underprivileged children, caring for differently abled children, women empowerment, environment conservation, aiding low-income households, helping tsunami and war refugees, etc.

I had been following his work on conservation for ages. Fernando once said: “There should be no greater priority than ensuring that the quality of the air we breathe, the rainfall that provides our sustenance, and the host of ecosystem services that make human life possible are protected for our children and their generations“. If Sri Lankan wildlife can communicate with humans, what would they say about him in a time like now? So as an ambassador for them, I would like to pen down just a glimpse of his contribution to conservation. Because it is a must that his work on conservation be appreciated.

Embarking on conservation

Fernando and his team did their best to protect nature. In 2007, a conservation body was initiated named Dilmah Conservation (DC). Though Sri Lanka is known as a biodiversity hotspot, opportunities for conservationists to cater to its needs are scarce. That is where the helping hand from DC came, as it worked shoulder to shoulder with the researchers, government, local communities, and conservationists at both the national and international levels to secure nature.

The home for orphan baby elephants, the Elephant Transit Home (ETH) in Udawalawe, was renovated with funding from DC a decade ago. This involved establishing an information centre with the sole purpose of raising awareness and disseminating vital facts about elephants. From time to time DC had been a regular contributor to ETH and had even fostered a few baby elephants at the centre. One story that is noteworthy is the story of the mother elephant, Veena, who had a seven-months-old calf. Veena lived in the forest areas of Mattala at Hambantota and became a victim of a ‘jaw bomb’ in April 2018. As a result of those injuries, Veena could not eat or drink and starved to death, leaving her calf. Luckily, the ETH team rescued the calf, and guess what happened next? The calf got luckier as DC came forward to act as a foster parent. This calf was named Dilmah.

In 2017, to study the behaviour patterns of elephants, DC, in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Centre for Conservation and Research, did a project to radio-collar some elephants at Yala National Park.

When it comes to saving biodiversity, conservation of smaller or lesser-known species are also important. That’s why DC never forgets to help them as well. For example, three years ago, DC collaborated with the IUCN, Global Wildlife Conservation, and Durrell Wildlife Conservation to assess threatened amphibians for inclusion on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Also, for keystone species such as bees, DC has conducted bee awareness programmes and research for conservation and economic gains. Caring more for the valuable pollinators, in 2011, an urban open-air Butterfly Garden was established by DC, the first of its type in Sri Lanka. Embarking on another milestone, in partnership with the Herpetological Foundation, DC is working on identifying new species in Sri Lanka. According to the data so far, it is known to have identified 40 new species, including 2 geckos, 4 snakes, 12 frogs, and 23 lichens.

Merrill Fernando (middle) at Elephant Transit Home in Udawalawe.

Sri Lanka is an island nation; therefore, the ocean is never far away. So consequently, conserving marine life and coastal ecosystems were taken into account by DC. As a result, conservation projects were done on Kayankerni Reef on the East Coast of Sri Lanka, including dugong conservation, beach cleanups, restoration of mangroves, and blue carbon initiatives such as cultivating seaweed.

DC’s contribution to the flora of the country is also astounding. So far, DC has two arboretums, one in Moratuwa and the other in Kalkudah. DC undertook a project to connect the fragmented Iharakanda and Walankanda Forest Reserves by reforesting the 3 km-long Endana Nature Corridor.

Concerned about global warming, in 2016, DC established Sri Lanka’s first climate change Research Station at Dilmah Tea’s Queensbury Estate in Nawalapitiya. Furthermore, many projects related to organic farming, renewable energy, and recycling were done. Not to mention, in the same year, to support conservationists’ efforts to mitigate ecological issues, the Merrill J. Fernando Innovation Awards were initiated.

DC’s work wasn’t limited to protecting natural resources. It also focused on the lives of indigenous groups such as the Veddas and the Ahikuntaka gypsy communities. These came in the form of establishing cultural centres to showcase their work, sponsoring their events, conducting surveys of those communities, and publishing books about them.

To enhance coexistence between wildlife and locals, DC had education activities for local populations, including in schools. Nature awareness efforts in DC were not exclusive to a specific community; they were broad. Over time, DC sponsored and organised many conferences, lectures, seminars, workshops, and competitions related to conservation. Even at my book launch on elephants six years ago, they were generous enough to provide the event with free tea. Moreover, DC had published many books related to wildlife, anthropology, agriculture, and ayurvedic medicine in English and Sinhala.

Throughout Fernando’s lifetime, he was bestowed with numerous awards from various institutions for his yeoman service to humanity and nature. Out of them, one that was remarkable was honouring him by naming a species after him. A few years ago, herpetologist Mendis Wickramasinghe and his team discovered a new species of endemic scincid lizard from Rakwana Hills. The binomial nomenclature was done in honour of Fernando and was referred to as Lankascincus merrill, often called Merrill’s Lanka skink.

On finale words

All that he did for conservation would be difficult to compact into one article, but as an act of gratitude, I hope that this does justice. Fernando was a gentleman that was larger than life; he set an example for all entrepreneurs in the world on how to treat the mother earth, on what we all keep our feet on and depend on. It has been 54 years since man kept his foot on the moon, but still, we don’t have any other planet that we can call home other than Earth. That could be the reason, in the very own words of Fernando, he mentioned that “We believe that conservation is ultimately about people and the future of the human race, that efforts in conservation have associated human well-being and poverty reduction outcomes“.

Now, he belongs to the ages, but the work he did will be enjoyed by both nature and humans for generations to come. Indeed, there is no doubt that his children and grandchildren will continue his charitable work along with his legacy.

Thank you, Fernando, for everything, and may you find eternal peace in heavenly paradise!