Supporting Conservation Education: the story of March for Conservation (1980 -2000): Part II

By Ryhana Raheem

The Biodiversity Skills Enhancement Project-the Public and Private sectors

By the mid- 1990s, March for Conservation (MfC) seemed to have accomplished much, particularly in the field of education. Satisfying as this progress seemed to be, there remained a feeling that there was more, much more to be done. There seemed to be enthusiasm and interest but meaningful action seemed to be lacking where environmental protection was concerned. The conservation of Sri Lanka’s diversity of biological riches was considered the function of a few institutions such as the Forest Department, the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Coast Conservation Department and the Botanical Gardens.

The reality however was that the island’s biodiversity was impacted upon by all activities, public and private. The organization therefore decided to broaden the scope of its activities and to include public and private agencies in its educational efforts. Working in tandem with the Ministry of Transport, Environment and Women’s Affairs, and supported by a grant from the prestigious MacArthur Foundation as well as one from the International Development Agency of the World Bank, MfC established the Biodiversity Skills Enhancement Project (BSEP) in 1995.

Booklet on biodiversity conservation produced for the BSEP Project

The objective of BSEP was to enhance not only skills related to biodiversity conservation but also institutional capacity to deal with issues in biodiversity conservation. The major activities of the project focused on training local professionals in both the public and private sectors in aspects of biodiversity conservation related work with reference to economic, social and technical themes. This training also took into consideration aspects of collecting, analyzing and presenting data related to biodiversity conservation. It was hoped that co-opting professionals from various sectors into training programmes would help to create a network of informed personnel who would work together as multidisciplinary teams in the implementation of programmes that impacted on the country’s biodiversity. It was a comprehensive and ambitious project with a long-term view.

To ensure that the project would be successful, MfC began with a workshop that was based on the concept of starting from the top. The Secretaries of all Ministries were invited to an inaugural Workshop where the project would be explained and the cooperation of the Ministries sought for. To our immense satisfaction, 17 Secretaries of the 24 Ministries then in existence not only accepted our invitation, but also enthusiastically participated in the inaugural workshop and even offered unstinted support for the project.

This cooperation was vital as the project envisaged establishing senior public officers as liaison persons within their Ministries. Those officers named by the Secretaries were then invited to the Workshop for Liaison Persons and this too was a great success with 19 senior officers (Additional Secretaries, Directors of Agencies etc.) attending the workshop to understand the nature of their responsibilities. With this very significant measure of support, the BSEP was able to carry out all the activities it had planned- the first series of Training Workshops was held in April – May 1996, and a second in August 1996. In addition Advanced Training Workshops on data collection, analysis and presentation were conducted for persons with specialized knowledge including NGO personnel and young graduates during the period August 1996 to November 1997. In all 240 officers of state agencies and departments were trained through BSEP efforts

Noting the enthusiasm and interest shown in these workshops, MfC also provided Awareness Workshops for various groups of key professionals in the public/private sector whose work impacted on the country’s biodiversity. These included 29 CEOs and senior personnel in Commerce and Tourism, 51 senior professionals in Engineering and the Construction industry, 36 senior professionals in Agriculture and Plantations and 14 exporters of aquarium organisms. Twenty five senior media professionals participated in a workshop designed especially for them in the hope they would disseminate information to the general public.

The attendee lists at these workshops is an impressive record of all those in control of these various sectors and underscored our belief that providing knowledge and information would go a long way in protecting biodiversity.

Apart from these many workshops, the project also organized public lectures throughout 1996 and 1997. The lectures were delivered by experts who had been invited as resource persons for them and included figures such as Dr J McNeely, then Chief Scientist at IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, Dr David Reid and Mr Fred Naggs of the Natural History Museum in London, Dr K Ghosh, Director of the Zoological Survey of India and Professor Shekar Singh of the Indian Institute of Public Administration in New Delhi. In April 1997, a well-attended Seminar on Biodiversity Conservation and Biotechnology: Indian and Sri Lankan Perspectives was held in conjunction with resource persons from India and Sri Lanka.

Other spin-offs of BSEP included educational material and publications related to the island’s biodiversity. 22 Training Modules were created as were 2 Field Guides, six booklets and five data Checklists. In the 18 –month period of the project, it managed to generate 11 TV programmes, 10 newspaper articles and six radio broadcasts on topics which highlighted the project’s concerns.

Another BSEP achievement was that it brought public agencies together- with 35 State Ministries, Agencies and Departments were involved in BSEP activities. Furthermore six universities worked with BSEP to provide the necessary training and other activities. BSEP thus was a collaborative initiative, the likes of which had not been achieved before by any conservation organization in Sri Lanka.

It also needs to be remembered that this project was conducted in the years 1995- 1997, years of much turmoil in Sri Lanka. The ethnic war had escalated and LTTE suicide bombers were targeting public spaces and important infrastructure locations. The Provincial Council system had just been introduced and there was public and political animosity against this. In addition, the JVP crisis of the late 1980s had resulted in an overhaul of the country’s education system and of the universities in particular. In spite of these very serious issues, it is to the credit of MfC that it was able to achieve what it did through the BSEP project.

Throughout its 20 years of volunteer work in conservation, one element that gave MfC strength was the fact that it was rooted in an academic setting. Sadly it was this element that underpinned its dismantling in the early years of the next decade. Leading members of MfC were either working on their postgraduate degrees or had moved into positions as Heads of Department or Deans- posts with greater responsibilities, leaving less time for volunteer work. A number had moved away from the University of Colombo, notably to the Open University, and the demands of academic work here impacted on their availability. Other senior members had left the island to work in their own chosen fields in other countries. With depleted leadership and in a situation where political and social conflicts tended to overshadow other national issues, it was not possible for the organization to maintain its momentum and by 2010, the organization had folded up.

In conclusion, it seems fitting that tribute is paid to those who supported and dedicated themselves to MfC and its work. Apart from the individuals mentioned at the start of this article, these included Thusitha Jayasooriya, Nirmali Pallewatte, Malcolm Jansen, Rohana Subasinghe, , PB Karunaratne, Dharmin Samarajeewa, Lalith Jayawickreme, Amodha Ratnayeke, Jinie Dela, Shironica Goonatilleke, Indrakanthi Perera, Neela de Zoysa, UKGK Padmalal, Amanda de Zoysa, Devaka Weerakoon, Martin Wijesinghe, Arjun Nadarajah, Pritihiviraj Fernando and SUK Ekaratne. Significant assistance was also provided by Professor Stanley Wijesundere, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo who provided a home and office space for MfC within the University of Colombo premises; Professor KD Arudpragasam, Professor of Zoology, University of Colombo, Mr Lyn de Alwis Director of the National Zoological Gardens and of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Shirley Perera of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Professors Nimal and Savitri Gunatilleke , Department of Botany, University of Peradeniya , Renton de Alwis, then Head of the Coast Conservation Department and Samantha Gunasekera of the Customs Department. And of course, given MfC’s outreach, there were many others too numerous to mention, in Colombo and other parts of the island who helped MfC’s multi-faceted programmes at various times.

This article on MfC’s work is focused mainly on its major educational efforts, its contribution to EE but there are many other activities and projects that the NGO had been involved in. The story of MfC records growth from work with schoolchildren and the general public to more focused work with another sector- the teachers and finally reaching out to the upper strata – to those who implement this country’s policies. It illustrates what an organization could achieve as it grows in confidence and outreach. It is also a record of sincere dedication and professional commitment to the conservation of Sri Lanka’s natural resources

One can only hope that this account of what MfC achieved would be an inspiration to any group that wishes to follow.

Ryhana Raheem , Emeritus Professor, Open University of Sri Lanka is a Founder member of MfC and co-author of “Sinharaja- A Rain Forest in Sri Lanka”.

She was the Chief Coordinator, MfC (1980 – 1983), Project Coordinator, MfC- Naresa EE project (1989 – 1993) and Project Director, BSEP (1994- 1998)