New generation of conservation leaders emerges as Sri Lanka recovers from crisis
By Karen Peterson
Senior Manager of Special Initiatives
“I used to be afraid of leopards!” said one young boy in Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands. “But now I love them!”
I heard this enthusiastic declaration on a recent trip to Sri Lanka, the teardrop-shaped island nation off the southeastern coast of India that is one of my favorite places in the world. I visited two Seacology projects that left me buoyed by young people’s commitment to stewardship of precious ecosystems.
Sri Lanka is coming out of some very bad years–the pandemic crippled tourism, which is a major revenue source, and a debt crisis caused severe shortages of food, fuel and other necessities. But the economy is slowly recovering, tourists are returning, and we at Seacology are thrilled that our conservation efforts are again educating and inspiring Sri Lanka’s children.
My first stop was the Lanka Mangrove Museum, which showcases the island’s critical mangrove habitats. This important facility has hosted thousands of visitors, from school groups to mangrove experts from around the world. Sri Lanka is ringed by mangroves, coastal forests that are critical to the wellbeing of the island’s people. Mangroves protect coastal villages from typhoons, serve as nurseries for reef fish, and provide wildlife habitat. They also help the rest of us by keeping huge amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere.
The museum opened on the very first World Mangrove Day in 2016, as part of Seacology’s five-year mangrove conservation project in Sri Lanka. But then came the pandemic, which forced the museum to close. However, thanks to the dedication of museum director Douglas Thisera and Seacology, the museum officially reopened on July 26, 2023 – World Mangrove Day.
I went to Sri Lanka to join the World Mangrove Day festivities this year and to celebrate the fact that this beautiful facility is not only surviving, but thriving.
Local kids participate in a World Mangrove Day performance at the Lanka Mangrove Museum.
Participants in the Together For Mangroves program explore the thriving mangrove forest behind the museum.
A centerpiece of the museum is the “Together with Mangroves Children and Youth Society.” More than 250 children in five groups gather weekly to learn about their communities’ mangroves – what makes them essential to their village, for Sri Lanka, and the world.
Club members gave us beautiful cards fashioned from paper that they had made by hand from trash they had collected in the mangroves. They had decorated these recycled cards, written in English, Sinhalese, and Tamil, with dried mangrove leaves.
They also proudly showed us the mangrove nursery they tend, gathering seedlings, caring for them, and planting them at the right time. Leading us on a tour of the beautiful mangrove area that surrounds the museum, they identified plant and animal species, including a curious monkey and a gigantic wasp nest that was (fortunately) high in a tree.
Our second stop was the Central Highlands, an inland region of forest and tea plantations. Seacology is funding 15 Forest Guardians youth groups, whose members help conserve the endangered Sri Lankan leopards that roam the ridges of mountain forests. Guided by staff from our partner, the Wilderness Wildlife Conservation Trust, these kids are learning about the unique species of the area, how humans threaten their survival, and how to advocate for the environment.
Seacology's support for the Forest Guardians program funded classrooms and hands-on outdoor education for thousands of local kids.
Seacology's Karen Peterson helps young Forest Guardians plant a tree in the Central Highlands
And after hearing about the youth group at the mangrove museum, they excitedly talked about the possibility of connecting with other Sri Lankan youth who share their commitment to safeguarding the island’s habitats and biodiversity.
Future conservation leaders are in the making in Sri Lanka.