Urban
wildlife
Conservation

Colombo contains a rich variety of living organisms and huge habitat diversity. Due to the business of the city, the rich-biodiversity is hidden at the first glance, but thousands of species are living there. Colombo is surrounded by fresh water bodies, beaches, sanctuaries, wetlands, man-made lakes and the city’s last remaining rice fields, which provide a haven for wildlife. In order to ensure sustainable development, we need to build a relationship in the urban space between people and wildlife by educating city dwellers and protecting nature. Planning, designing and managing the urban space and biodiversity is of great importance to enhance the quality of city life for people and animals alike. This is an opportunity for you to volunteer your time completing urban community environmental activities, including beautification and conservation of the city and surrounding areas, and research and promotions.

Sinharaja
Rain forest
Conservation

Sinharaja is one of the last remaining primary forests in Sri Lanka. It’s called the island’s lungs because of its purification function of the atmosphere. Even when far away from the forest, we receive constant benefits from it, as it produces oxygen for us while absorbing the carbon dioxide we release. It cleans up the environment for our well-being. Sinharaja has also been called the island’s largest pharmacy because of the huge variety of natural medicine discovered within it. Some of the world’s oldest ecosystems can be found in Sinharaja: it is home to an incredible amount of plants and wildlife, produces nourishing rainfall and controls the island’s temperature by regulating weather patterns. Sinharaja is critical in maintaining the island’s limited supply of fresh water suitable for drinking. Scientists predict that rainforests won’t be able to survive for more than 40 years. Originally, 6 million square miles of tropical rainforests existed worldwide but, as a result of deforestation, only 2.6 million square miles remain today. Every second, a slice of rainforest of the size of a football field is being destroyed. That’s 86,400 football fields of rainforest per day, or over 31 million football fields of rainforest each year. In total, more than 56,000 square miles of natural forest are lost annually. The Sinharaja rainforest is threatened by deforestation, illegal logging, unsustainable agriculture and mining. It is critical to conserve what we are losing in the rainforest and rethink about some of the human activities that are affecting the ecosystem. Rebuilding and replanting forest in certain areas are extremely important, as is educating the people in the buffer zone villages about their unique environment.

Rural
community
Conservation

If you drive eight hours from the city center, you will find one of the least developed areas of the island where most economically vulnerable people, with the lowest recorded gross income, lives. Life is not easy in these villages – they are disconnected from the rest of the world. They lose in ground economic development and they face an increasing level of poverty. The village economy is based on traditional agriculture, but economic vulnerability and other factors result in the instability of agricultural production. Villagers have limited access to many resources, most of the people enjoy, such as good healthcare, clean water, technology and high-quality education. As a result, the farmers, students, teachers and admin bodies in these villages face unique challenges. Villagers use natural resources (for example, plants, animals, forests, wildlife, and crops) to enhance their lives. They get their food, fuel, building materials and spiritual nourishment from natural resources and manage them either consciously or unconsciously through local rules , taboos and belief systems that they have developed in particular contexts. Although natural resources have long been an integral part of rural Sri Lankan livelihoods, they face poor harvests due to soil erosion, lack of plant nutrition and drought. In conclusion, there is a distinct lack of organic and sustainable agricultural knowledge. Students lack access to high-quality teachers, professional development opportunities, technology and language learning resources. The administration faces the challenge of retaining high-quality teachers in the village. Teachers have to face professional isolation, managing multiple extracurricular duties and preparing for multiple subjects and grades. Consequently, villagers have low academic and career expectations. We believe technology and language learning can help students break free of those limitations and realize their full potential. This in turn helps communities overcome other common challenges such as poverty and substance abuse. These villages also need education on sustainable agriculture & natural resource management techniques and better agricultural guidance. Sustainable rural development can be achieved by protecting ecosystems & natural habitats and managing natural resources while improving food security based on sustainable agriculture. This support will empower villagers and enable them to overcome this structural problem. These vulnerable and neglected people rely on support from the outside world to build a better life for themselves. Your contribution will help bring a dynamic change in their lives and enable them to achieve their full potential as humans.

Community writings

Are you passionate about conservation or volunteering in Sri Lanka ? If you believe knowledge is to be shared and could help to save the planet and improve people’s quality of life, and if you have tips on going green, research, expert knowledge or conservation experience, we would love to hear your ideas. Not sure what to write about? We are looking for innovative, helpful and relevant non-promotional content. We go beyond our main criteria if the information is relevant to conservation, but we reserve the right to edit the post as needed to fit with this blog’s content. Get in touch with us and send us the topic you would like to cover along with a couple of writing samples.

Join us

if you are interested in volunteering in Sri Lanka and share your skills, knowledge, expertise in conservation or community work, we would help you to connect with people who would be really benefited. even if you are travelling to another country, you still can make your contribution to save the planet as it does not have a border. join us rejuvenate rural economy & their education, protect wildlife & their habitats and educate local communities on how to look after their unique environment. Join us volunteering in Sri Lanka.

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