Protecting Horton Plains
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‘Conserving Horton Plains: What the Science Tells Us’ is the title of Dr Rohan Pethiyagoda’s lecture for the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society on May 20 at 6 p.m., via Zoom.
Just about everyone who visits a protected area in Sri Lanka comes away with many ideas of how its management could be improved. Horton Plains is no exception. Despite its small size, Horton Plains is one of our country’s most unique and priceless biodiversity assets and sadly it faces graver threats than most other protected areas.
Over-visitation, fires, alien species, pest species, illegal mining, forest dieback, population declines, pollution, climate change… the list goes on and on. While a great deal of research has been done on most of these problems, translating scientific findings into management interventions remains a formidable challenge.
In this lecture, Rohan Pethiyagoda explores the threats that confront Horton Plains and discusses solutions which are often provocative, controversial, and perhaps even aggressive. But unless these recommendations are openly discussed among serious-minded conservationists, the decline of this jewel in the crown of Sri Lankan biodiversity is set to continue.
The WNPS monthly lecture is presented in association with Nations Trust Bank and open to all.
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