Wildlife and Nature Protection Society

Wildlife and Nature Protection Society is a conservation organisation. It is the third oldest non-governmental conservation organisation in the world and was instrumental in setting up Wilpattu National Park and Yala National Park.[1]

Wildlife and Nature Protection Society
AbbreviationWNPS
Formation23 May 1894 (1894-05-23)
TypeNon governmental organization
PurposeWildlife Conservation, Environmental conservation , Youth engagement
Location
  • Sri Lanka
MethodsAwareness, Advocacy, Litigation, Lobbying, Research
Websitewnpssl.org/
Formerly called
Ceylon Game Protection Society; Ceylon Game and Fauna Protection Society; Wildlife Protection Society of Ceylon

History

The Ceylon Game Protection Society was formed on 23 May 1894 at a meeting of 26 British hunting enthusiasts (including Sir Wilbraham Lennox, Rear Admiral William Robert Kennedy, Reginald Beauchamp Downall, C. Fisher and C. LeMesurier), organised by Captain E. Gordon Reeves, at the Bristol Hotel, Colombo. Kennedy was appointed honourary president and R. W. Levers, the Government Agent of the North Central Province, as the first chairman with Reeves as honourary secretary of the society. The society's main concerns were to stop or reduce the commercial hunting of game as it was dramatically impacting on their enjoyment as sports hunters. The society's first success was the passing of legislation prohibiting the export of hides and horns and the trade in these commodities and trade in dried meat. In 1898, through the society's efforts, the Yala Sanctuary on the southeast coast of Ceylon was gazetted and the fauna of the Yala Sanctuary were granted protection from hunting.

A second sanctuary, Wilpattu, was established on the northwest coast in 1905. In 1930, the society was renamed the Ceylon Game and Fauna Protection Society, reflecting its broader interests in conservation. In February 1938 both Yala and Wilpattu were formally declared national parks. In 1955, it became the Wildlife Protection Society of Ceylon and in 1970 the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society.

The society was instrumental in setting up the Department of Wildlife Conservation, which is the government body that maintains National Parks and recently initiated the country's first-ever Life Insurance Policy for the department's employees.[2]

Advocacy and outreach

The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society conducts monthly lectures on conservation issues by inviting expert speakers,[3] advocates for Environmental Impact Assessments to be carried out in the coastal zone for proposed development projects,[4] advocates against the boar meat trade,[5] ensures environmental standards and park policy[6] of National Parks,[7] conducts projects towards elephant conservation,[8][9] condemns the use of elephants in festivals,[10] and maintains a 'youth wing' which aims to raise awareness on environmental conservation among school children.[11]

Conservation

The society works towards human-elephant co-existence[12] by clearing elephant corridors[13] of illegal settlements, initiating strategic electric fencing methods, identifying mitigation methods[14] using flash lights to repel elephants,[15] ensuring the welfare of the local communities and raising public awareness.[16][17] Leopard conservation is carried out by training programmes and facilitating research.[18][19] Marine conservation work involves identifying and protecting ship wrecks and conservation of thresher sharks.[20][21]

The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society, along with Environmental Foundation Limited and others, have litigated to protect National Parks from illegal clearing and entrance[22][23] and biofuel projects.[24]

See also

Further reading
  • Tutein-Nolthenius, A. C. (1931). 37 years of Game Protection in Ceylon. A short history of the Ceylon Game and Fauna Protection Society, 1894 to 1931. Colombo: Times of Ceylon.

References
  1. "Wildlife & Nature Protection Society of SriLanka turns 125 - Life Online". www.life.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  2. "INSURANCE SCHEME COVERING 2500 EMPLOYEES OF DWC". epaper.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  3. "WNPS Monthly Lecture on Lankan blue whales within a global context | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  4. "Beach nourishment: Was an Environmental Impact Assessment done or not? | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  5. "WNPS expresses serious concern over wild boar meat trade | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  6. "Mounting jeep safaris make Yala animals snarl". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  7. Imtiaz, Zahrah. "Yala under threat". Daily News. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  8. "Trunk call to railways". Sunday Observer. 2018-10-20. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  9. "Relocating Sinharaja elephants: May sense prevail! | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  10. Ables, Kelsey. "Caught between culture and controversy". Daily News. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  11. "Schooling of conservation awareness: WNPS Youth Wing inspires next generation of conservation heroes | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  12. Fern, Dunstan J.; o (2018-05-21). "Community Consultation Processes in Human-Animal Conflict Management in Sri Lanka". Research & Reviews: Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. 6 (3): 1–5. ISSN 2347-7830.
  13. "'If we go on like this, we're going to have nothing left in the next 25 years'". Nation Online. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  14. "It's time to rethink how humans and elephants could coexist". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  15. "Saving a Species: The Future Of The Human Elephant Conflict". roar.media. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  16. Sooriyagoda, Lakmal. "CoA issues notices on Environment Minister, 23 others". Daily News. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  17. MENAFN. "Protection of wildlife equals protection of humans". menafn.com. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  18. "'Black panther' not different species but melanistic colour variant – Wildlife Dept". EconomyNext. 2020-01-21. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  19. "For Sri Lanka's dwindling leopards, wire snares are the leading killer". Mongabay Environmental News. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  20. "A look at marine conservation in 2020 and how we can move forward". Nation Online. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  21. "Endangered thresher sharks targeted by sports fishing company in breach of the law | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  22. "Wilpattu National Park severely affected by unregulated activities of Pallekandal Church | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  23. "Damage caused to Wilpattu National Park by activities of Pallekhandal Church | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  24. "Environmentalists win 'landmark' case against biofuel project in Sri Lanka". Mongabay Environmental News. 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
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