Protecting the wilds with the people
View(s):- Vinod Malwatte’s deep love for the land from a young age has turned to conservation, involving communities living near Protected Areas
By Yomal Senerath-Yapa
Vinod’s favourite animals are not the leopards or bears but elusive creatures that are “spill over wildlife” in the buffer zones. Give him a jackal or the jungle cat any day, slinking by a wild village track at dusk…
Vinod Malwatte
Vinod grew up in Colombo and was educated in a public school. The holidays Vinod and his sister wished for were the typical ones at popular hotels (this in the 1990s) but their parents veered them off the beaten track and took them to ancient sites and wildlife parks. For this, Vinod is eternally grateful.
Though he was down for Colombo University, Vinod got a scholarship to the USA to read for a BA in geography and anthropology, following which he had hands-on experience in Sri Lanka in conservation. He also did a Master’s in USA in Community Engagement and Sustainability Planning.
Vinod sees enormous importance in engaging with the communities that live and work near protected areas. Sri Lanka having inherited the “rather obsolete” fortress conservation model from the British, “these communities bear the brunt of wildlife spill” he says.
“If wildlife is to be sustained in Sri Lanka, these communities will need to play a pivotal role. The convergence of development and conservation is needed and local communities that live and work near these Protected Areas need to be suitably employed and engaged.”
The Lanka Environment Fund, in which Vinod was involved from day one, works to attract and oversee international environmental grants and funds to the island. “The work has been extremely fulfilling.” Since 2019 to now (which no one can deny were very troubled times) they mobilised approximately $1.3 million in conservation funding towards local conservation groups and partnered with over 20 local conservation groups.
His other love is the Parrotfish Collective, a rather fun mingling of “volunteer-based wildlife enthusiasts turned conservation communicators”. They have done much to make conservation cool, armed with sassy illustrators and snappy writers (their website has beautifully illustrated stories about the Devil Bird and ‘avian architects’). They are busily creating day-to-day, environmental educational content that is rolled out across social media.
The Collective is also involved in creating logos and awareness material for our national parks: “thus far we have created the official logos used for Wilpattu, Horton Plains, Kumana and Lahugala National Parks and the Kayankerni Marine Sanctuary with two more on the way!”
On the Parrotfish mission he adds: “I hope that over the years our work will help raise eco-literacy rates amongst the public and we will have a better informed and environmentally sensitive local communities.”
A major concern for Vinod is that government budgetary allocations are not enough. “Even simple things like having clean functional toilets within our Protected Areas need to be addressed, especially if we are trying to promote wildlife-based tourism. If budgetary allocations aren’t increased drastically over the next few years, we won’t have viable wildlife populations to attract tourists. We shouldn’t undermine the very resources we are trying to use to support and stimulate our economy.”
As a trustee of the Federation of Environmental Organizations (FEO), Vinod is also directly involved in the habitat restoration of the Kumana Villu within the Kumana National Park.
Having been across the world, he appreciates “how much we have to conserve and be proud of.” This island spell meant he could never live abroad.
Says Vinod, “it is this love for
Sri Lanka and its ancient lands and all its mysteries that motivates me to continue on this journey…”
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