LOLC supports conservation of Sri Lankan leopard
View(s):LOLC, one of Sri Lanka’s leading and largest diversified conglomerates, has stepped forward to support the ‘Standardised Population Survey of the Sri Lankan leopard in the Wilpattu National Park’. This 6-month project is spearheaded by the Environmental Foundation Ltd, the Department of Wildlife Conservation of Sri Lanka, and ‘For The Leopard Trust.’ The cheque to fund the project was handed over to the Environmental Foundation Ltd (EFL) at the LOLC Head Office in Rajagiriya, recently, according to an LOLC media release.
From left: Kithsiri Gunawardena - Chief Operating Officer, LOLC Group; Ishara Nanayakkara - Deputy Chairman, LOLC Group; Kapila Jayawardena - LOLC Group Managing Director/CEO; Dinal Samarasinghe, co-investigator EFL ; and Dr. Eric Wikramanayake - Principal Investigator of the leopard survey and Chairman EFL.
Only nine subspecies of leopards including the Sri Lankan leopard Panthera pardus kotiya have been recognised in the world and the local leopard, is the second remaining “island leopard” in the world.
The conservation of leopards is particularly meaningful given that Sri Lanka currently holds a unique leopard sub-species that is increasingly limited to a relatively small area of occurrence.
Speaking about the project, Dr. Eric Wikramanayake, Principal Investigator and Chairman of EFL said, “This survey at Wilpattu will provide the first robust and scientifically defensible estimates of leopards in Wilpattu, after which we hope to continue this survey in other major protected areas of Sri Lanka. The data will establish a reliable baseline to inform long-term population monitoring and conservation programs. We are immensely encouraged by our partnership with LOLC. It will reinforce our conservation efforts and ensure that such iconic species are not affected along Sri Lanka’s journey towards economic progress and development.”
The methodology used for this population survey is an internationally accepted protocol that uses two systematically set up camera traps. The camera traps, spaced about 2-3 kilometres apart, will be left active for a period of 40 days and checked regularly. This spatial configuration ensures that all leopards in the landscape will have an equal probability of being detected.
Speaking about the project, Group Managing Director/ CEO of the LOLC Group, Kapila Jayawardena stated, “We are proud to partner and support the efforts of the Environmental Foundation and the Department of Wildlife Conservation to protect endangered species such as the majestic and iconic Sri Lankan leopard. We understand that these conservation efforts require adequate financing and it is not the sole responsibility of conservation organisations such as the EFL.”