News
WNPS Forges New Groundthrough Private Land Acquisition for Biodiversity Conservation
Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) is pleased to sign their inaugural Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), under the PLANT Guarantee Company.
PLANT – WNPS’ Preserving Land and Nature Trust, was set up with the aim of acquiring privately owned lands for the purpose of conservation (outright or on a long-term lease) and to collect funds through the Trust, to purchase lands for the purpose of conservation. Sustainable forest-grown Ceylon tea brand Kaley Teas will be partnering with WNPS on this ground-breaking PLANT initiative.
In a time of rapid development and increasing demand for resources such as now, land conservation and reforestation play an important role in safeguarding wildlife habitats. Protecting unharmed forests is also among the most efficient and cost-effective ways to combat climate change. The PLANT (Preserving Land and Nature Trust) strategy is to acquire as many acres of private land as possible for conservation purposes under a Single Purpose Vehicle (either through lease or outright donation of land and by collecting funds under the Trust for purchasing of land). Acquiring private land for the purpose of biodiversity conservation is not a new concept and is practiced globally with a lot of success. The aim of the vehicle is to increase the land extent available for conservation, as remaining habitats are being eroded by unplanned development and unsustainable agricultural practices that cause grave and unprecedented threat to both forest cover and wildlife.
Pioneers in conservation
Established in 1894, the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) is the third oldest conservation society in the world and the largest in Sri Lanka with a membership base of over 3,000. For the last 127 years WNPS has been working with many stakeholders including scientists, researchers, policy makers, conservationists, activists and the general public, to protect Sri Lanka’s rich biodiversity. Partnering with companies and supporters who share the same vision, allows the WNPS to springboard its efforts in protecting Sri Lanka’s flora and fauna for future generations
Protecting Sri Lanka’s wildlife habitats is now more important than ever
Sri Lanka is known as a global biodiversity hotspot for its high number of species, in a relatively limited area. Sri Lanka’s biodiversity also has a high rate of endemism – about 27% of the country’s plants are endemic and 22% of its amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles. Sadly, Sri Lanka has one of the highest recorded rates of primary forest destruction in the world (Global Forest Watch). Primary forest cover has fallen from 84% in 1881 to less than 17% today (Mongbay). Habitat loss is the leading threat to Sri Lanka’s native ecosystems and species. It should come as no surprise that 30 species of mammals, 14 species of birds, 13 species of reptiles, 75 species of amphibians, 121 species of fish and 298 species of plants in Sri Lanka are listed as Threatened (IUCN Red List version 2020)
The biggest threat to Sri Lanka’s forests and wildlife habitats are human activities such as urbanization, agricultural expansion and ill-advised development projects.
Government decisions, such as the decision to abolish Circular No. 5/2001 and hand over forested land classified as Other State Forests (OSF) from the Forest Department (FD) to the Divisional Secretaries and District Secretaries for selected development projects, will destroy even more of our wildlife habitats.
Partners with a shared vision
Kaley Teas is a pioneering Ceylon tea, which comes from a single garden surrounded by forests, bordering Sinharaja Rainforest. The tea is grown organically, made with the finest leaves that are hand-picked, naturally withered from the winds from the rainforest and hand made.
Kaley continues to restore abandoned tea lands stripped of its natural balance by re-establishing bio diverse forest eco-systems. As Kaley’s teas are grown in a forest environment, the income of the community who grow and make tea is totally dependent on the existence of the forest. In this regard, Kaley Farms has set up a multi-pronged program to enrich the living standards of the families involved in the growing, plucking and making of Kaley Tea. Kaley will share their life stories, especially those of women and children who face various challenges on a daily basis. This will enable their partners to relate much closer to their communities. Ultimately, Kaley hopes that these actions will positively impact the 300 or so families in the village and will also help build a model that could be rolled-out elsewhere in the country.
Through this partnership WNPS and Kalay Teas hopes to protect and further develop the forest eco system and biodiversity, carry out research, publish findings which can aid in conservation and conduct training programs to educate village communities to ensure sustainability.
First comprehensive review of EPF, ETF launched, says Deputy Minister
The Government has launched the first comprehensive review of the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF) since their establishment, Deputy Minister of Labour Mahinda Jayasinghe told Parliament on Friday.
He said the review was aimed at improving the efficiency of the two retirement benefit schemes and enhancing services provided to millions of members.
Addressing Parliament, Jayasinghe said the Labour Department had already introduced several measures to modernise the administration of the funds, including digitalisation initiatives and improved mechanisms to recover outstanding contributions from defaulting employers.
According to the latest figures, the EPF has 22.9 million registered members and beneficiaries, of whom 3.1 million active accounts receive monthly contributions. The ETF has around three million registered members.
The Deputy Minister said the EPF’s total assets had reached Rs. 4.9 trillion by the end of 2025, while the ETF’s assets stood at Rs. 637.5 billion. He added that there were 101,000 active employers in 2025, including 376 semi-government institutions.
Jayasinghe said no government had undertaken such a systematic review of the two funds since their establishment, with the EPF being introduced in 1958 and the ETF in 1980.
He said the Labour Department had accelerated the recovery of unpaid EPF contributions from private and semi-government institutions, with Rs. 3.4 billion allocated through the 2026 Budget to settle outstanding contributions of semi-government institutions.
He added that steps had also been taken to reactivate stalled court cases and execute pending warrants related to contribution defaults.
The Deputy Minister said a new software system was being developed by integrating the data systems of the Labour Department and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to create a unified platform.
He further noted that the Digital EPF facility, launched last December, enables employees to register and access a range of EPF-related services online. These reforms, he said, would eventually allow members to obtain EPF and ETF services through a single-window system.
The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), and its constituent partners, the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka (NSSL), The Editors’Guild of Sri Lanka (TEGOSL), the Free Media Movement (FMM), the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) together with its affiliated organizations, the Muslim Media Forum (MMF), the Tamil Media Alliance (TMA), The Federation of Media Employees Trade Union (FMETU), the South Asia Free Media Association – SL Chapter (SAFMA) object the proposed Chartered Institute of Media Professionals of Sri Lanka (CIMP) Bill.
“Our primary objection stems from the government-led nature of this initiative. History shows that robust professional bodies, such as the Institute of Engineers and the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, were founded and drafted by the professionals themselves before being incorporated by Parliament. In contrast, the CIMP is a state-driven project ordered to be published by the Minister of Health and Mass Media despite objections raised by media’s professional bodies.
We view this as an attempt to impose a state-managed regulatory framework upon a profession that must remain independent of government inteference to function effectively,” an SLPI news release said.
“The SLPI, its constituents and affiliated organizations maintain that professional media standards must be self-regulated in principle and led by the media community, not mandated by law under ministerial oversight. The SLPI has presented an alternative mechanism, viz., the Sri Lanka Media Commission (SLMC), based on co-regulatory and self-regulatory principles, which improves professionalism. In addition, the Sri Lanka College of Journalism, which is recognised by the media industry for training journalists for more than two decades, could also be an alternative way of building relevant journalism standards with government financial support if it intends to genuinely promote media professionalism. We call upon the government to withdraw this Bill and engage in a genuine dialogue with stakeholders that respects the autonomy and freedom of the media in a democracy.”
More than Rs. 332 million in public funds has been spent on maintaining Provincial Council chairpersons and their staff despite the dissolution of Provincial Councils, Deputy Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Ruwan Senarath told Parliament on Friday.
The Deputy Minister disclosed this in response to a question raised by NPP Gampaha District MP Ruwan Nishantha Mapalagama.
According to Senarath, a total of Rs. 332.9 million had been incurred during the relevant period for the upkeep of Provincial Council chairpersons and their administrative staff, although the respective councils had ceased functioning after completing their terms.
He explained that the expenditure had continued due to provisions in the Constitution and existing legal framework, under which the positions of Provincial Council chairpersons remain valid even after the expiry of the councils’ official terms.
Senarath said the legal provisions governing Provincial Councils had resulted in chairpersons and their staff continuing to receive related facilities despite the councils themselves no longer being operational.
The disclosure came amid concerns over public expenditure incurred on maintaining institutions that remain inactive due to the absence of Provincial Council elections.
Typhoon Noul makes landfall in China, with hundreds of thousands evacuated
Colombo Kaps down Dambulla Sixers by 21 runs
Kandy Royals win by 11 runs
Showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts
Govt. launches EPF, ETF shake-up
SLPI concerned over the proposed Chartered Institute of Media Professionals of Sri Lanka
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