Sanjayan's personal journey takes him to his homeland of Sri Lanka to perform a rapid environmental assessment of tsunami damage.
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Wireless Reports
Listen to our audio chat:
Sanjayan recently answered questions about his journey to Sri Lanka to assess the impact of the tsunami on the environment and people.
Listen to an audio archive of our chat!
Tuesday, February 1, 2005:
Sanjayan sent us this wireless report after returning from an expedition to Sri Lanka's Yala National Park:
Yesterday, our plan to explore a remote part of Yala National Park was thwarted by an elephant! Only in Sri Lanka...
This area we were in is called "block two" and is not open to visitors. We went to check the coastline for tsunami damage. The road ended and our Land Rovers could go no further, so we hiked.
A short while later, we stumbled upon a sleeping elephant. Not too pleased to be woken.
NPR/National Geographic's Radio Expeditions has it all on tape. We listened to it afterwards at camp. Close call! Never been that close before and not especially on foot.
Our guides would go no further after that. More sense than us I suppose! So now we have taken to the air with a helicopter.
Not sure if we actually are being safer.
Bye for now and thanks for everyone's support.
January 22-25, 2005:
Sanjayan sent in this wireless report in the midst of his dives to examine tsunami damage to coral reefs in southern Sri Lanka:
Coral is less damaged than expected. Have been doing four dives per day and totally exhausted. Staff holding up despite sea sickness.
I will be glad to see the last of the diving. Terrible conditions. 3m or less visibility. Pea soup.
Still we are the first to dive any of these reefs since tsunami so what we find is new info.
Shoreline utterly devastated.
Some villages hard to know where the houses were. In towns it really looks like someone bombed the hell out of it. House after house with huge walls blown out looking like caves actually.
Every tree has missing kid or person poster.
Odd to go past that and immerse in soupy water only to find shoes wallets and things littering reef.
Found a huge fishing net yesterday caught on reef still catching fish.
Thanks for all your help and support.
For more information:
- In The News: Tsunami relief that will last
Denver Post, March 4, 2005
As M.A. Sanjayan, lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy, surveyed the environmental toll from the Dec. 26 tsunami, he saw that although the destruction had been uneven, it wasn't necessarily random.
- In The News: Nature Bounces Back on Sri Lanka's Coast
NPR Morning Edition, February 24, 2005
In a two-part series of reports for the NPR/National Geographic co-production Radio Expeditions, Elizabeth Arnold journeys to the island nation of Sri Lanka with one of the first teams to assess the environmental aftermath.
- In The News: Sea and jungle life bounce back from the tsunami's battering
The Independent (London), February 16, 2005
The first assessment of the damage to wildlife caused by the Asian tsunami found nature has been surprisingly resilient to the effects of the giant waves.
- Press Release: Tsunami Leaves Behind Human Devastation and Environmental Damage that May Take Decades to Recover
As aid arrives to countries hit by the tsunami to provide much-needed food, shelter and medicine for the survivors, scientists are beginning to focus on the longer-term environmental damage that will affect the livelihoods of fishermen and coastal communities for years to come.
- Donate: Support The Nature Conservancy's ongoing efforts in the Asia-Pacific region
Your gift today will enable our science-based conservation of coral reefs, rainforests and other threatened areas throughout the region.
- Our Partner: Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS)
The Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society is the first organization to be established outside Sri Lanka for the sole purpose of helping to conserve and preserve the dwindling biodiversity of Sri Lanka.
- Statement from Nature Conservancy President Steve McCormick on the Tsunami Disaster and Relief Efforts
The world has begun the New Year facing the ravages of one of the most severe natural disasters in history.
- Relief Organizations Working in the Disaster Area
A list of non-governmental organizations working throughout the disaster area from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
- Aid Groups Accepting Donations for Victims
A list of ways to donate from CNN.
