WNPS monthly lecture to tackle “Sinharaja: from a timber reserve to a biological treasure trove – what next?”

Dr Nimal Gunatilleke	Dr. Savitri Gunatilleke

• Key insights from University of Peradeniya Professors Emeriti Dr. Savitri Gunatilleke and Dr. Nimal Gunatilleke at 21 March event

The Wildlife & Nature Protection Society will hold its monthly lecture under the theme “Sinharaja: From a Timber Reserve to a Biological Treasure Trove – What Next?” on 21 March at 6.00 p.m. at the Jasmine Hall, BMICH. The presenters will be University of Peradeniya Professors Emeriti Dr. Savitri Gunatilleke and Dr. Nimal Gunatilleke.

The ‘infamous mechanised logging project of Sinharaja’ is now in the well-documented annals of history. The role of an environmentally-conscious public in discontinuing this ill-advised project is hailed as one of major successes of politico-environmental campaigns for public good of the day. It is indeed heartening to note that the momentum generated from resisting this abominable Sinharaja fiasco is sustained even to date, though with varying degree of success.

The conservation scientists who made an entry to this scene of ‘saving, studying and wisely using’ the elements of a rich repository of biological wealth, have over the years unearthed some hidden treasures of global significance, underpinning the conservation value of Sinharaja and its surrounding relic forests.  These rain forests of south-western Sri Lanka provide one of the most outstanding regions for studying the processes of biological evolution in this era of molecular biology.

However, on the downside, the threats to the survival of Sinharaja and other rain forests of south-western Sri Lanka are also continuously raising their ugly heads, suggesting the need for constant vigilance on the part of environmentally-responsible citizenry and conservation scientists alike, to conserve this biological treasure trove that continues to provision ecosystem services for the well-being of both humans and other biota.

Professors Savitri and Nimal Gunatilleke, retired professors in Botany of the University of Peradeniya, have been conducting long-term biological and ecological research in Sinharaja and several other forests in Sri Lanka over several decades. In recognition of their research endeavours, they have been awarded the UNESCO’s Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation in 1997.  Prof. Savitri Gunatilleke has been selected as an honorary fellow of the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation in 2016. It is the highest award given by the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation in recognition of long and distinguished service to tropical biology. Prof. Nimal Gunatilleke holds a titular award of ‘Vidya Nidhi’ (Science and Technology, 2005) received from the President of Sri Lanka. They are both fellows of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka.