By Ifham Nizam 

Sri Lanka, often celebrated for its verdant landscapes and diverse wildlife, holds a lesser-known treasure within its waters and riparian zones: dragonflies and damselflies. These ancient insects, often overlooked, are quietly playing a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance. For Amila Sumanapala, a pioneering naturalist and entomologist, dragonflies have been more than a mere subject of study—they represent an ongoing quest to understand and protect Sri Lanka’s rich natural heritage.

In an interview with The Island, he said, “I’ve been interested in the overall diversity of animals since my school years.

“When I started as an amateur naturalist, I realised that very few people were focusing on dragonflies and damselflies. There was no one to guide me in identifying or understanding what we were observing in the field. That lack of resources and knowledge motivated me to dive deeper. I read extensively, taught myself, and invested time in understanding these remarkable insects.”

The untold story of Sri Lanka’s dragonflies

Sumanapala’s research has been instrumental in uncovering Sri Lanka’s significance as a global hotspot for dragonflies. Out of 132 species documented so far, over 50% are endemic to Sri Lanka. “Sri Lanka has a remarkable dragonfly diversity compared to its land extent. Our mountains and rainforests harbour species that are unique to very specific locations,” Sumanapala explained.

Places like the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary and Sinharaja Forest Reserve are particularly rich in dragonfly species. “These habitats are critical for some of the most elusive species. For example, several endemics in Peak Wilderness are found in just a handful of streams and wetlands,” he said, highlighting the need for their preservation. “These areas are not just pockets of biodiversity; they are also key to understanding the evolution and ecological roles of dragonflies on the island.”

Green’s Gem

Dragonflies as ecosystem indicators

Beyond their beauty, dragonflies play a critical ecological role. “Dragonflies and damselflies have an amphibious lifecycle,” Sumanapala said. “Their larval stages are fully aquatic, while the adults are aerial predators. They lay their eggs in water, often within aquatic plants or riparian zones. Some species are very habitat-specific and require pristine, unpolluted water bodies to breed.”

This sensitivity to water quality makes dragonflies excellent bioindicators—organisms whose presence or absence can signal the health of an ecosystem. “When you see dragonflies thriving, it is a sign of a healthy aquatic environment,” Sumanapala shared. “They help control populations of other insects, including pests and mosquitoes, making them essential for ecosystem balance.”

The growing threats

Despite their ecological importance, dragonflies face growing threats across Sri Lanka. “Habitat destruction remains the largest challenge outside protected areas,” Sumanapala said. “The clearance of riparian vegetation, pollution of streams and wetlands, and poorly planned development projects are devastating these habitats. Climate change adds another layer of complexity.”

Changes in rainfall patterns have already begun to impact dragonfly populations. “We’ve observed significant fluctuations during dry spells and periods of erratic rainfall,” Sumanapala noted. “When rains are delayed or occur in short, intense bursts, the aquatic habitats required for dragonfly larvae become unstable. Early findings also suggest that climate change will shrink the suitable habitats for many endemic species, especially those confined to mountain regions.”

However, Sumanapala remains hopeful that proactive conservation strategies could mitigate these threats. “While the existing protected area network provides some level of security, more needs to be done. Policies around land use planning and sustainable development must be strengthened, and cumulative impacts of projects should be carefully considered.”

Role of communities and citizen scientists

For Sumanapala, conservation is not a job reserved for scientists alone—it is a collective effort. “If communities protect their natural waterways and the surrounding vegetation, they automatically safeguard dragonflies and many other species,” he explained. “These insects can thrive even in human-modified habitats if key elements, like clean water and plant cover, are preserved.”

Sumanapala emphasised the role of citizen science, where individuals contribute to scientific research by sharing field observations. “Citizen scientists are invaluable, especially in countries like ours where resources for biodiversity research are limited. Every observation, every record helps us better understand distribution patterns and population trends.”

Vermilion Forester

Uncovering the unknown

Sumanapala’s contributions extend far beyond observation. His fieldwork has already led to significant discoveries. “So far, I’ve discovered and named a new species, rediscovered species that were once thought extinct, and recorded several new country-specific species. I’ve also updated distribution ranges and documented the natural history of lesser-known species.”

Yet, he believes this is just the beginning. “Large parts of Sri Lanka remain underexplored, particularly in the north and central regions. There is much more to uncover in terms of dragonfly diversity, behaviour, and their interactions with ecosystems.”

Message to young scientists

Sumanapala’s journey is as inspiring as it is instructive. For budding entomologists and naturalists, his advice is straightforward: start small but think big. “Biodiversity is vast, and the more time you spend observing, the more you’ll learn. Start with the animals and plants in your own surroundings—your garden, local parks, or paddy fields. Learn the basics, study the species around you, and expand your curiosity from there.”

He sees a bright future for young scientists in Sri Lanka, particularly in biodiversity studies. “There’s so much more to discover here. Whether it’s dragonflies or any other group of organisms, Sri Lanka has a wealth of biodiversity waiting to be explored. If you have the passion and curiosity, you can build a lifelong journey contributing to science and conservation.”

Lifelong commitment to Nature

For Sumanapala, studying dragonflies is more than a profession—it is a commitment to nature. His work stands as a testament to the power of curiosity, perseverance, and dedication. As climate change and human activity continue to reshape ecosystems, the insights from his research serve as a guide for preserving Sri Lanka’s natural heritage.

“Every dragonfly has a story to tell—of adaptation, survival, and beauty,” he said. “By protecting them, we protect the ecosystems they depend on, and ultimately, we protect ourselves.”

As Sri Lanka moves forward, voices like Sumanapala’s remind us that even the smallest creatures can play a monumental role in our planet’s survival—and that every effort counts.

Cass has always maintained that if you want a job done well give it to a woman. Of course, there will be exceptions but generally that maxim holds. Eleanor Roosevelt, a power in her own right, said; “A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”

Women are generally incorruptible and can resist the temptation of flesh and spirit. How many men down the corridors of history have fallen from their pedestals – King Solomon and the Hebrew man of great strength Samson of Biblical times and thereafter – to the charms (or wiles) of female temptresses. How many famous women holding positions of kingship or governance have sacrificed their positions for the attraction of a man? None at all, Cass believes. All down the ages, men have taken bribes; in contrast to so few women. Corruption of the spirit? Comes to mind a meteoric Christian preacher and self-appointed Prophet, now claiming to be consecrated a Bishop. Plenty of such publicity seeking Buddhist monks are also around. They claim having attained higher states on the Path to Nibbana, or worse, pronounce persons following their teaching and meditation as now Sovan, their samsaric cycle reduced to a mere seven rebirths. Corruption of the spirit in lay persons can be causing aberration of the mind.

Second female Chief Justice

Sri Lankan women are proud that the 48th Chief Justice of the country is a woman, the second after Dr Shirani Bandaranayake whose very elevation to the position during the time of G L Peiris being Minister of Justice was critiqued. She suffered a short stormy career which was most rudely terminated by Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa. We recall the insults she was subjected to by some MPs who were delegated to question her and the manner of her ejection from the official residence.

Here is a Head of the Judiciary who possesses qualifications, has risen correctly, meaning through meritocracy to the position, and is accepted. This last fact was proven in the ceremonial welcome she received, which the media detailed.

In acknowledging her reception, Chief Justice Murdu Fernando said; “I am indeed honoured and privileged to serve … and I pledge my unwavering commitment to uphold the integrity, independence and dignity of our judiciary as an independent and impartial arbiter of justice.” We believe her and Cass more so, because she is a woman who promises thus.

CJ Fernando continued thus: “I also recognise the significance of this achievement to all women of the legal profession and those aspiring …. any other chosen field… This milestone is not just for me, but for all those who have fought for equality,…to break down barriers, the glass ceiling and who have believed in the power of perseverance… Justice is not a mere ideal; it is a living, breathing force that impacts families, communities and nations. It is our duty to ensure that the rule of law is applied fairly and impartially, without fear or favour and that every individual who enters this hallowed institution, regardless of their background, finds a system that listens, understands, and seeks to protect their rights.”

BRAVO! A whole lot said simply but sincerely and giving us Ordinaries hope for the future, which promises to be so different from how it has been these past decades.

Champion of animals

We ordinaries usually cheer those who fight for or even protest the rights of animals. But Cass feels that those who shout out now for the rights of marauding animals are way out. In this category is another woman who has been making a mark – this time a black mark – by organising roadside protests and speaking out for the right of animals to live and roam around freely: monkeys of all kinds, wild pigs and other animals who destroy crops from paddy to fruit, particularly banana and papaw; sugar cane to vegetables. She is Dr. Ajantha Perera. Who is of greater importance to the world at large – human beings or animals? Who calls for precedence when safety and life itself are at stake? Humans of course. In this instance the animals destroy the plantation of farmers, small holders et al and thus are a positive menace. They impoverish those engaged in agriculture and cause immense frustration and misery. You nurture a clump of fruit trees or a vegetable plot with your life’s toil and then one morning you rise to see it all destroyed. These animals are wantonly destructive. So who needs help and saving?  The farmers of course!

Cass asked an experienced ex Sri Lankan civil servant who worked with rural people what he thought of the Minister of Agriculture’s pronouncement in Parliament that farmers could use any method to get rid of marauding animals. He said the minister was correct. Cassandra’s gut feeling is the same: the problem of crop destruction by animals being so severe. A good sign: sterilisation of monkeys has begun. Better late than never.

Please note that Cass has not included elephants as marauding animals. There the blame is shared by intruding human beings. That conflict is very different from the monkey, porcupine, pig incursion of agricultural lands.

Another quirk of ours?

Earlier in this Cry, oops sorry, Song of Celebration, Cass expressed hope in the turn we think the country has been taken on after the new government came to power. But due to the Speaker, now resigned, a slur has been cast, a stain impressed. He seems to have used and exhibited the highest academic qualification fraudulently, or a PhD he acquired from an institution that cannot award doctorates that are recognised and accepted by global academia. Some claimed that it was a minor matter. Not at all. In a dispensation claiming to be honest and against all forms of corruption, one of the highest being deceptive about his academic qualifications is dishonest and equal to corruption.

We have had many Drs of Phil sprouting up recently, Cass thinks after Viyathmaga professors gathered around Prez hopeful, Gotabaya R. They could all be thus: having been conferred doctorates but the conferring universities may not be recognised nor even be universities proper. One knows degrees can be bought in the US. We recall how Mervyn Silva from Kelaniya used the prefix Dr claiming it was a doctorate. Was it in alternate medicine and from a sort of university set up an acupuncture specialist?

Cass’s point here is that claiming or exhibiting academic qualifications is a new quirk in our collective psyche. There are great men who have refused honours they did not mentally work for. Many professionals of high calibre are conferred doctorates by well recognised universities but do not use the prefix.  We hope this near manic yen for high academic qualifications of Prof and Dr will die down.

Stupendous waste of funds

Wednesday December 18 headline in The Island: “Govt. intends to save Rs 1,200 mn by reducing ex-Presidents’ security.” Why only intend? Should have been done long ago. What threat is there for any of them, the widow included? Cass says, and it makes sense, will anyone expend even that much energy to throw a stone at any of them? They must travel unescorted or not travel at all. They live in fortressed mansions, also provided by us the heavily burdened taxpayers. Didn’t any of them realise that the money spent so uselessly on their security could have fed so many families who are now suffering near starvation.

Then the other scandal that came to light in Parliament on Tuesday December 17. The millions taken for personal use by those in power from the President’s Fund. Even minding her own business Cass roiled with anger to know Rambukwella’s balcony walk for whatever purpose cost us poor Sri Lankans millions for his long Australian hospital stay. Thank goodness all this will end.

Let’s conclude this song of today on another celebratory note. We were proud to see Prez Disanayake in India given a warm welcome. He carried himself perfectly: proud but with no hauteur; indicated or gave the impression we are a small poor country but with national pride. Gratitude to India was expressed.  Thank you, Mr President.

Looking at foreign policy questions from a feminist viewpoint may strike many in even the world of democracy as quite a new approach to studying external policy issues but this perspective has been around for quite some time and it would be in the interest of states and publics to take profound cognizance of it. This is in view of the implications of the perspective for international peace and stability.

Given this backdrop, it was in the fitness of things for the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) Colombo, a major pioneer in the teaching and researching of International Relations in Sri Lanka, to set off special time to introduce and discuss Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) recently. The relevant symposium was the final one in a series of forums of importance to foreign and domestic policy issues the BCIS conducted in the course of November this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding.

Titled ‘Leadership for Peace and Feminist Foreign Policy’, the forum was held on December 9th at the BMICH’s ‘Mihilaka Madura’ under the aegis of the BCIS, headed by the latter’s Executive Director Priyanthi Fernando. Prominent among the members of the audience at the symposium was the Chairperson of the BCIS, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

The panelists at the forum were Prof. Rangita de Silva de Alwis, Associate Dean of International Affairs, University of Pennsylvania Law School, USA and an Expert Member on the CEDAW and Eva Abdullah, Chairperson, Maldives Policy Think Tank and a former Deputy Speaker of the People’s Majlis of the Maldives. The symposium was moderated by Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, former UN Under-Secretary General and Special Representative of the Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict (2006-2012).

Prof. Rangita de Silva, among other things, pointed to the importance of re-imagining FFP and making it increasingly relevant in the formulation of a country’s foreign policy. She said that going forward, foreign policy will need to be increasingly based on a feminist perspective and there are some major countries of the South and North that have already given their external policies this orientation. It was pointed out that by 2025, France, for example, would be taking this policy direction; that is, the best interests of France’s women would be taken into consideration in the formulation and implementation of foreign policy.

Chile, the same speaker pointed out, a major country of the South, is in the forefront of integrating or merging its domestic and foreign policies with a view to prioritizing the legitimate interests of women in the crafting of its external policy.

Eva Abdullah pointed to the crucial contribution women make to a country’s economy. Women in the Maldives, she said, work 19 hours a day. She cogently elaborated that economic instability is a chief causative factor in the disruption of peace and stability in a country, in view of its subtle capability to undermine a country’s material wellbeing. The latter, in turn, causes social disaffection and unrest. But, generally, the factors seen as undermining a country’s peace are physical conflict and war; that is, overt violence.

However, it is important to come to grips with the less visible or more subtle destroyer of peace, which is economic instability. This form of instability, it was pointed out, has grave long term consequences. For instance, a country’s economic ruin is virtually inherited by every new born infant, since a country in debt is obliged to repay such loans and it falls to future generations to do so.

Abdullah went on to elaborate that economic austerity measures undertaken by a country in debt, for example, while disruptive of peace, exert a deleterious impact on particularly women and other vulnerable groups. After all, the contribution of women to the GDP of a country is inestimable. This is all the reason why women’s issues need to be brought to the forefront of foreign policymaking.

In other words, foreign policy, Abdullah pointed out, is essentially all about the promotion of human rights. Since such rights are insidiously undermined during times of economic austerity; debt issues, which come to the fore during economic crises in particularly the South, cannot be viewed in isolation from women’s issues and external policy.

Thus, the forum raised issues of crucial importance to foreign policy formulation which countries of the South in particular need to take into account very seriously, going forward. At the end of the symposium a Q&A followed where many an issue of relevance was taken up for discussion.

It ought to be clear to the unbiased observer and commentator that a feminist perspective in foreign policy is of crucial significance to the process referred to as democratic development. The latter signifies growth in tandem with redistributive justice. It goes without saying that foreign and domestic policies that do not help in furthering these aims serve no useful purpose. Thus, a feminist foreign policy and its underlying principles cannot be glossed over or ignored in the process of external policy formulation and implementation.

Generally, a woman’s contribution to a country’s GNP and overall wellbeing goes largely undocumented and unappreciated. For example, women work selflessly and silently in their homestead, but no official price tag is attached to such labour which is instrumental in ‘keeping the home fires burning’. Accordingly, the panelists’ observation that foreign policy in the real and feminist sense is essentially all about the promotion of human rights amounts to an insight of great worth.