Sri Lanka is one of the few countries in the world where a large, free-ranging elephant population lives in such close proximity to dense human settlement – not inside isolated reserves, but across working landscapes shaped by farming, roads, railways, irrigation systems and villages

Sri Lanka’s Endangered -  A mission to save species One small step at a time

Mankind cannot survive on its own. Coexistence matters, especially with nature. In a world that continues to cut down trees, kill animals and pollute surroundings, innovative initiatives are needed to educate people on the importance of environmental conservation. Sri Lanka’s Endangered is one such project that aims to raise awareness about various endangered animals in Sri Lanka and related topics that would allow anybody who visit their website to understand their part in this conservation process. 

Led by Anik Jayasekara, the team behind www.srilankasendangered.com is building a public-facing platform that connects credible environmental knowledge with everyday understanding. Built on insights from environmentalists, wildlife experts, activists and professionals in the field, each article is treated as a living piece, designed to evolve through expert insight and real-world feedback.

Anik affirms that this is not another case of overwhelming people about various environmental issues that exist in different parts of the country. But rather, a platform that allows people to read about different animals, environmental issues and understand what they could do to make a change. As a first step, the platform invites you to register if you are interested to become an advocate. 

Once you register, you will receive one email every week about an animal, with related images taken by Sri Lankan wildlife photographers and “simple, expert-advised actions you can take to help.” According to the website, these articles are “short enough to read before your tea cools, but powerful enough to change how you see this island”. 

The website has been designed as an interactive platform, inviting conservationists, organisations, photographers, experts, teachers, parents, volunteers and anybody interested in wildlife to contribute with their insights to continuously improve content to make it more accurate and interesting for people. The platform is also open for anybody to volunteer as a writer, accountant, translator among others to improve its outreach. 

Mahendran who applied to be a Data Analyst said that the idea to help Sri Lanka’s endangered animals has never crossed his mind before. “But once I saw the volunteer post, I wanted to give it a shot. I just want to get exposed to a world where people get together and work for a good cause. I am pretty sure that one day I can go to bed thinking that, I have done my part and my best to protect the motherland and animals,” he added.

In an attempt to familiarise the concept among readers, Sri Lanka’s Endangered will publish a series of articles in the Daily Mirror fortnightly. 

(Source:dailymirror.lk)