The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) recently accepted the invitation extended by Biodiversity Sri Lanka (BSL) to serve as an Associate Member of the Platform. IWMI’s acceptance of Associate Membership will strengthen BSL in providing added technical support to its membership on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and biodiversity conservation.

IWMI’s technical guidance and support will also expand opportunities for BSL members to garner knowledge and expertise in proactive actions towards climate change adaptation, sustainable agriculture and food security.

Associate Membership is a status conferred by BSL on technical bodies/organisations which are able to add value to its work and that of its membership on areas of mutual interest. BSL in turn will provide these agencies with a ready private sector-led platform that enables sector-wide collaborative work and collective action in achieving nationally important biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation targets.

IWMI and BSL have worked together on building climate resilience and IWRM within the tea plantations sector of the country through the application of various tools and technologies developed and piloted by IWMI. The new partnership aims to further strengthen this relationship and expand the scope of work in order to deliver specific benefits particularly for the members of BSL.

IWMI is a non-profit, scientific research organisation focusing on the sustainable use of water and land resources in developing countries. IWMI works in partnership with governments, civil society and the private sector to develop scalable agricultural water management solutions that have a real impact on poverty reduction, food security and ecosystem health. Headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, with regional offices across Asia and Africa, IWMI is a CGIAR Research Centre and leads the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE).

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