Postscript: What I Learned in Sri Lanka
February, 2005 | Washington, DC
“The tsunami gives Sri Lanka and other affected countries a chance to pause and rethink the management of natural resources.”
Sanjayan
Lead Scientist, The Nature Conservancy
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Sanjayan recently answered questions about his journey to Sri Lanka to assess the impact of the tsunami on the environment and people.
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Our final report and all the recommendations we made were accepted by the Department of Wildlife Conservation in Sri Lanka. They promised to move on the priority action items. By the time we left, they had already sent a small clean-up crew to one of our surveyed sites. The Department has asked us to remain involved in their efforts.
We also met with and presented our report to the Minister of Environment in Sri Lanka and to the U.S. Embassy, USAID mission, and others. You can read our final report online.
Sri Lanka is a country with magnificent biodiversity. Its parks are full of animals and visitors. Its reefs are easily accessible. Many of the people who lost their livelihoods were intimately involved with nature – fishermen, ecotourism operators, and so on... Right now, millions of dollars in aid and reconstruction money is becoming available to get people back on their feet, to rebuild their livelihoods.
This is a good thing.
But shouldn’t just a little bit of thought and resources also go towards ensuring the sustainability of those livelihoods? What is the point of rebuilding a dive shop if the reef is going to be destroyed anyway by human use?
The tsunami gives Sri Lanka and other affected countries a chance to pause and rethink the management of natural resources.
From this expedition, I also came away with an appreciation for the impact that a motivated team can have during a time of crisis.
“There is compelling evidence that a well-protected and managed environment will enhance the quality of life of the people depending upon it.”
Sanjayan
A Lead Scientist for The Nature Conservancy
There is compelling evidence that a well-protected and managed environment will enhance the quality of life of the people depending upon it. While it is entirely correct to be concerned about people, unless we also put some effort to ensuring that the environment that they depend upon is secure and thriving, we are just throwing them a life-line with no chance of actually pulling them back into the boat.
The expedition to Sri Lanka was a major test for The Nature Conservancy. Here we deployed a team to the other side of the world, within just a couple of weeks, to work with a partner whom we have never worked with before, in a country with which we have no previous experience, that had just suffered a natural disaster of cataclysmic proportions.
Whether it was our donors, scientists or marketing staff, when we asked, they helped. When 3000 people work together towards one goal – it is a thing of beauty. I am lucky to be part of this great organization that sometimes surprises even me.
Working in Sri Lanka was not easy. With the infrastructure in tatters and massive relief and reconstruction work going on, simple things became difficult and difficult things nearly impossible. Yet everywhere we went we were met with unfailing hospitality.
Rohan, the diver who took us out on his boat to dive the reef, did not want to accept payment for the dives. He said, “You are here to help,” as if to explain his generosity.
The Sri Lankan Wildlife Conservation Society stepped up and assisted us in every way possible. They accommodated our requests with good humor and put their heart and soul into the work before us. I thought that our request for a helicopter would finally stump them but even this they found and delivered to us, on time, in the middle of the jungle! They adapted to our culture and our way of doing this quickly and by the end of the expedition we were one team. To them, though they were part of this effort, we owe a huge debt of gratitude and thanks.
“From this expedition, I also came away with an appreciation for the impact that a motivated team can have during a time of crisis.”
Sanjayan
A Lead Scientist for The Nature Conservancy
Tim Boucher and Mark Godfrey went to Sri Lanka with me. They worked tirelessly while there and continue to support efforts once they returned. I would go anywhere with these two guys. Tim wrote to me after he returned to the U.S. He said, “It was great being there – nice to get away from all the theory of conservation and actually have an effect on the ground”. That is the best thing he could have possibly said to me.
There's one more member of our team I want to mention here – Karen Foerstel. She began her media relations work even before we left for Sri Lanka. Without her, I would not be writing this here, NPR would not be reporting on our efforts and my computer laptop cord would still be stuck somewhere on the way to Asia.
Finally, I have to thank Michael Vlock of the Seedlings Foundation – a non-profit family foundation registered in Illinois – and John Francis of National Geographic Society. Both called me and offered their support. Without their help, what we did, what we brought, what we left behind in Sri Lanka would have been greatly reduced. Their generosity speeded us along.
For more information:
- 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.
- Press Release: First Environmental Survey of Tsunami Damage Shows Sri Lankan Coasts and Forests Hurt but Rebounding
The tsunami has left Sri Lanka's marine areas dangerously clogged with debris that could cause long-term damage to coral reefs and marine species, but scientists say there are many signs of hope: trees are regenerating, wildlife is returning to damaged areas, and coral reefs are largely intact.
- 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.
