A few days have passed since Sri Lanka’s first Rufford In-Country Conference, and the range of research presented in Kandy is still fresh in my mind. The Bio Conservation Society Sri Lanka organized the conference from 14 to 16 November under the theme “Let’s Protect Sri Lankan Biodiversity.”
The conference brought together 65 Rufford grantees, researchers, and conservation practitioners. Most participants were from Sri Lanka, with invited presenters joining us from Bangladesh, India, and the Maldives.
Dr Lalith Ekanayake opened the conference on behalf of the Bio Conservation Society Sri Lanka. Professor Siril Wijesundara then delivered the keynote address on ex-situ plant conservation and the role of Sri Lanka’s national botanic gardens in protecting threatened plants.
Day one, session one: species and ecological processes
Dr Lakshman Peiris and Dr Lalith Ekanayake chaired the first technical session.
Anjali Watson presented research on the population structure and movement of Sri Lankan leopards. Hussain Zahir shared observations of coral bleaching from reef-check expeditions in the Maldives, focusing on the sensitivity of corals to rising sea temperatures.
Tharaka Kusuminda discussed insectivorous bats living in tea plantations. His research examined the less obvious habitats these bats use within tea-growing landscapes, including buildings, tree cavities, and old masonry structures.
Professor Rupika Rajakaruna presented Pathogen-driven loss of biodiversity: trematode-induced mortality and malformations in frogs. Her talk examined how trematode parasites, including Ribeiroia ondatrae, can cause severe malformations and mortality in frogs. It was one of the presentations that stayed with me because it showed how a microscopic organism can have visible consequences for wildlife.
N. C. S. Ruklani closed the session with research on bryophytes. The presentation addressed how pollution and habitat degradation threaten this poorly studied group of plants.
Day one, session two: conservation research in practice
Anjali Watson and Dr Lalith Ekanayake chaired the second session.
Koushalya Mahagedara discussed Sri Lanka’s Apis cerana honey industry and the ecological importance of native honeybees as pollinators. Dr Lakshman Peiris then gave an overview of wildlife research management within the Department of Wildlife Conservation, including the process of obtaining research permits.
Zahirul Islam presented work from Bangladesh on tracking sea turtles using satellite technology. His findings showed how movement data can help researchers understand the habitats that turtles use across the Indian Ocean.
Sarath Ekanayake concluded the session with a botanical survey of a little-studied forest in the Badulla District. The forest is unusual because trees belonging to the Dipterocarpaceae family dominate it despite its location in Sri Lanka’s eastern intermediate zone.
The discussion that followed concentrated on research permits, institutional collaboration, and the analysis of wildlife samples. Participants also considered when samples need to be sent abroad and when researchers can use facilities available within Sri Lanka.
Day two, session one: wildlife under pressure
Professor Rupika Rajakaruna and Sarath Ekanayake chaired the first session of day two, which examined pressures on crocodiles, small cats, sharks, and rays.
Guest speaker Anslem de Silva drew on more than five decades of work with reptiles to discuss crocodile ecology and human–crocodile conflict. C. Kumar presented research and public-awareness work on sharks and rays in southern India, including its relevance to fisheries policy.
I presented findings from our research on small cats living in Colombo. I used night-vision footage recorded during the study to show fishing cats hunting in the urban landscape. Urban ecology remains poorly documented in Sri Lanka, so the footage gave the audience a direct view of behaviour that is difficult to observe in the field.
Dilan Chathuranga presented research on spiders in the Upper Hantana Hills. His study examined how varied habitats support different spider communities.
Dr Lalith Ekanayake closed the session with an account of sea turtles around the Kalpitiya Peninsula, the threats they face, and the coastal outreach conducted by the Bio Conservation Society Sri Lanka.
Day two, session two: habitats, restoration, and coexistence
Dr Anslem de Silva and Dr Lalith Ekanayake chaired the next session.
Manoj Prasanna presented a study of mangrove flora at Madampa Lake on Sri Lanka’s southwest coast, drawing attention to rare and threatened plant species. Chathurika Munasinghe described an attempt to restore seagrass beds in Mannar to improve feeding habitat for dugongs.
Ashoka Ranjeewa presented research on the behaviour of elephants involved in conflict around Udawalawe. Like me, he used night-vision footage to make behaviour recorded after dark visible to the audience.
T. H. S. E. Silva discussed Sri Lanka’s stingless bees, including identification through nest characteristics and the medicinal use of their honey. Gajaba Ellepola concluded the session with research on coral reefs at Passikudah. His aerial photographs showed how conditions in the surrounding landscape influence coral habitats.
Day two, session three: unresolved conservation questions
Dr Inoka Karunarathna and Dr Lalith Ekanayake chaired the final technical session.
Nuwan Karunarathna reported a high incidence of amphibian malformations in paddy fields exposed to agrochemicals. A. N. Thudugala then presented research on the distribution of fishing cats in Sri Lanka and the threats they face as human development expands.
The discussion returned to a question that remains central to fishing cat research: how many fishing cats live in Sri Lanka? No reliable national estimate is available because the species is difficult to detect and observe consistently.
Dr Lalith Ekanayake delivered the final presentation on behalf of Duminda Balasuriya. It examined environmental journalism and lessons from the Green Media Network of Sri Lanka.
The final day
The conference concluded with a field visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya. S. D. Abeywardena, Sarath Ekanayake, and Koushalya Mahagedara guided the visit, which focused on the garden’s role in ex-situ plant conservation.
What stays with me is how often researchers working on very different organisms encounter the same practical constraints. The discussions repeatedly return to permits, long-term monitoring, and the difficulty of translating field evidence into conservation decisions. They also place our work on Colombo’s fishing cats within a much broader effort to understand and protect Sri Lanka’s biodiversity.
