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WNPS monthly lecture today is a debate between two giants on conservation and need to produce food
The Nations Trust Bank, in partnership with Wildlife and Nature, will today present their monthly public lecture on “Recovering from the crisis without further harm to the environment” by Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda and Prof. Devaka Weerakoon at 6 pm via Zoom and FB Live.
The decision taken in May 2021, by the Sri Lankan Government (GOSL), to ban the imports of inorganic fertilisers and switch to organic fertilisers has had a devastating impact on agricultural production and food security and now threatening the survival of the Sri Lankan population. This has resulted in the GOSL turning towards another short-term solution, to release all the lands, within protected areas, or designated for protection, for the purpose of increasing cultivation.
Sri Lanka’s Protected Area (PA) network covers 26.5% of the total area of the island. It consists of intact wet and dry zone forest ecosystems that harbor wildlife. The PA network provides a wealth of ecosystem services and goods that are vital for the sustenance of humans and animals alike. Sri Lanka, along with the Western Ghats, is identified as one of the 35 global biodiversity hotspots. The total annual economic value of the protected areas has been estimated to range from US $ 3.5 billion to US $ 138.8 billion.
The question, therefore, arises as to whether the principles of conservation have to be compromised for the sake of the food requirements of the people of this country, or are their possible arrangements that will ensure the survival of both? This matter of considerable importance is to be discussed and debated between two giants of science and research in this field.
Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda is a biodiversity scientist. He has more than 60 research papers to his credit, in addition to authoring several books on Sri Lanka’s fauna and flora, through the Wildlife Heritage Trust (WHT), a foundation he endowed in 1991. He has won wide international recognition for his work, including a Rolex Award and more recently the Linnaean Medal which is considered as the Nobel Prize for Naturalists,
Prof. Devaka Weerakoon is a strong education professional with a PhD in Biological Science from Illinois State University. He is skilled in Conservation Biology, Sustainable Development, Environmental Science, Ecology, Human-Wildlife Conflict and Wetland Management.
This is a must for all interested in conservation and the environment. The Nations Trust WNPS Public Lecture is presented in association with Nations Trust Bank and open to all. Join us via https://bit.ly/3yA7HDj
Accepting deposits from political parties and independent groups who intend to contest the forthcoming Local Authorities Election ended at 12noon today [19].
Deposits were accepted at respective District Secretariats from 3rd March 2025.
The Elections Commission has announced that the deadline for the accepting of nominations for the LA poll is set to conclude at 12:00 noon tomorrow (20).
It has been reported that the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon has appeared before the Matara Magistrate’s Court this morning (19),
The former IGP had been evading arrest after the Matara Magistrate’s court had ordered his arrest regarding a shooting incident that took place in front of the W15 Hotel Pelena, Weligama, Matara, in 2023.
The government has begun recovering funds obtained by former Lands and Land Development, Environment and Wildlife Resources Minister SM Chandrasena for the Janatha Lanka Chilli Marketing Limited (JLCML), which he headed, Parliament was informed yesterday.
Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation Minister Namal Karunaratne said that as the Chairman of JLCML, Chandrasena had obtained a loan of Rs. 1,275,000 from the Mihintale Govijana Seva Bank in 2001.
The principal of the loan had not been repaid until the end of last year. “After we came to power, we demanded that the loan be settled. Then, we discovered that the interest on the loan had not been paid for the past 24 years, and attempts had been made to have the loan written off. We stopped that and are now in the process of recovering the interest of Rs. 1,975,233 on the loan,” Karunaratne said.
Karunaratne added that JLCML was registered as a company with the Registrar of Companies on March 21, 2001. As Chairman of the company, Chandrasena requested a loan of Rs. 10 million on April 19, 2001, for the purpose of purchasing chillies from farmers in 12 farmer colonies in the Mihintale Agrarian Service area.
The request was approved by the Mihintale Agrarian Service Committee on the same day and referred to the Anuradhapura District Agrarian Operations Committee, which approved it on April 23, 2001. However, the Agriculture Development Commissioner General recommended that a loan of Rs. 1.2 million would suffice for this purpose. JLCML took the loan and failed to repay it until the end of last year. When the matter was raised, the principal was paid, and we are now in the process of recovering the interest that was not paid for the past 24 years,” Karunaratne added.
By Saman Indrajith
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