Environmental Foundation (Guarantee) Limited | |
Abbreviation | EFL |
---|---|
Formation | 1981 |
Type | Non-governmental Organization |
Purpose | Environmental conservation Wildlife Conservation Environmental Justice |
Location |
|
Methods | Public interest litigation, Advocacy, Awareness, Research |
Fields | Legal, Science |
Website | efl.lk |
Environmental Foundation Limited (EFL) is a public interest litigation and environmental conservation organisation in Sri Lanka. Established in 1981, EFL seeks to protect and conserve the natural environment through litigation, advocacy, awareness and youth-engagement.
In 2005, the foundation won a case filed in the public interest to maintain the Galle Face Green Beach as a public utility. [1] [2]
The foundnation, together with Wildlife and Nature Protection Society and others, won a fundamental rights application filed in the Supreme Court against the planting of Gliricidia trees for biofuel production and illegal clearing of land to create roads in Amarawewa, near Yala National Park. [3] [4] [5]
Environmental Foundation Limited instituted a case against the high levels of air pollution in the Colombo Metropolitan area in 2014. As a result, vehicle emission testing was initiated by Department of Motor Traffic and Central Environmental Authority. [6]
A Fundamental Rights Application filed by the foundation to object to the use of coal to generate power resulted in the cancellation of a proposed coal power plant. [7] [8]
The foundation advocates for policies to ban single-use plastic items, [9] carries out a project to restore the water quality in Kelani River, [10] campaigns to prevent degazetting of protected areas for development projects, [11] [12] [13] litigates against illegal tourism in ecologically sensitive areas, [14] [15] advocates against the downgrading of 'other state forests, [16] litigates to stop deforestation in Wilpattu National Park, [17] [18] develops sustainable frameworks for PET recycling, [19] [20] advocates against illegal mining, [21] promotes sustainable energy [22] [23] and publishes conservation research. [24]
It hosts monthly panel discussions [25] on different environmental issues such as deforestation, [26] climate change [27] and conducts awareness sessions and workshops [28] for school children, university students and the public. [29]
Transport in Sri Lanka is based on its road network, which is centred on the country's commercial capital Colombo. A rail network handles a portion of Sri Lanka's transport needs. There are navigable waterways, harbours and three international airports: in Katunayake, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Colombo, in Hambantota, and in Jaffna.
Maharagama is an outer suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka on the High-Level (A4) Road about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the centre of the commercial capital. It developed rapidly in the 1980s as a dormitory suburb. Governed by the Maharagama Urban Council, the town possesses facilities like supermarkets, department stores, clothing, food and beverages shops to fulfill the needs of citizens.
The Sri Lanka Railway Department is Sri Lanka's railway owner and primary operator. As part of the Sri Lankan government, it is overseen by the Ministry of Transport. Founded in 1858 as the Ceylon Government Railway, it operates the nation's railways and links Colombo with other population centres and tourist destinations.
Wilpattu National Park is a national park in Sri Lanka. The unique feature of this park is the existence of "Willus" – natural, sand-rimmed water basins or depressions that fill with rainwater. Located on the northwest coast lowland dry zone of Sri Lanka, the park is 30 km (19 mi) west of Anuradhapura and 26 km (16 mi) north of Puttalam. The park is 1,317 km2 (508 sq mi) in area and ranges from 0–152 m (0–499 ft) above sea level. Nearly one hundred and six lakes (Willu) and tanks are found spread throughout Wilpattu. Wilpattu is the largest and one of the oldest national parks in Sri Lanka. Wilpattu is world-renowned for its leopard population. A remote camera survey conducted in Wilpattu from July to October 2015 by the Wilderness and Wildlife Conservation Trust captured photographs of forty-nine individual leopards in the surveyed area, the core area density of which was between that of Yala National Park's Block I and Horton Plains National Park.
Rishad Bathiudeen is a Sri Lankan parliamentarian and former senior cabinet minister. He is the leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) Party, a registered political party in Sri Lanka. Bathiudeen was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Vanni Electoral District in December 2001 and was re-elected in April 2004, after which he was again re-elected in April 2010 and 2015 June from the same Electoral District which comprises Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullathivu Administrative Districts. Rishad Bathiudeen holds a National Diploma in Technology (NDT) in Civil Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka and is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Engineering (C.I.E.) in the UK.
Harsha de Silva is a Sri Lankan economist and politician. He is a Member of Parliament for the Colombo District and former Non-Cabinet Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution; State Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs; and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is a member of Samagi Jana Balawegaya.
Otara Gunewardene is a Sri Lankan entrepreneur, animal welfare advocate, conservationist and philanthropist. She is the founder of ODEL, Embark and Otara Foundation.
Deshamanya Weligamage Don Lakshman popularly known as Professor W. D. Lakshman is a Sri Lankan economist, professor, lecturer, academic and author who also served as the 15th Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and current chairman of the Monetary Board of the CBSL. He is regarded as one of the prominent economists of the country mainly well known for his immense contributions to policy related activities and for being specialised in the field of Economics.
The Western Region Megapolis is an urban planning, zoning, and development area stretching from Negombo in the north to Beruwala in the south. It is designed to create a megapolis in Sri Lanka's Western Province by 2030.
The 2017 Sri Lanka floods resulted from a heavy southwest monsoon, beginning around 18 to 19 May 2017. Flooding was worsened by the arrival of the precursor system to Cyclone Mora, causing flooding and landslides throughout Sri Lanka during the final week of May 2017. The floods affected 15 districts, killed at least 208 people and left a further 78 people missing. As of 3 June, 698,289 people were affected, while 11,056 houses were partially damaged and another 2,093 houses completely destroyed. According to Al Jazeera, about 600,000 people have been displaced due to the floods.
Nagananda Kodituwakku is an attorney-at-law, public interest litigation activist and also a 2019 Presidential Candidate. Having held the office of the Head of Revenue Task Force in the Sri Lanka Customs Administration, Kodituwakku emigrated to the United Kingdom with his family following life-threatening circumstances in 2001. Since his return to Sri Lanka in 2009, he has played a key role in public interest litigation.
Ajantha Wijesinghe Perera is a Sri Lankan academic, scientist, university lecturer, environmental activist and politician. She is known for her efforts to end the garbage crisis in Sri Lanka and is nicknamed as Garbage Queen. She founded the National Programme on Recycling of Solid Waste to solve the garbage crisis.
The Pearl Protectors is a youth-led marine conservation organisation. Established in 2018, The Pearl Protectors seek to reduce plastic pollution and conserve the marine environment through youth engagement, volunteerism, awareness and advocacy.
Wildlife and Nature Protection Society is a conservation organisation. It is the third oldest non-governmental conservation organisation in the world and was instrumental in setting up Wilpattu National Park and Yala National Park.
Anjali Watson is a Sri Lankan conservationist. She is known for her contributions to leopard conservation and founded the Wilderness and Wildlife Conservation Trust, a conservation and research organisation.
Centre for Environmental Justice is an environmental conservation and public interest litigation organisation in Sri Lanka. The organisation is a member of the Friends of the Earth International network which is the world's largest international grassroots environmental network.
Bandula Jayasekara also known as Bandula Jayasekera was a Sri Lankan journalist, broadcaster, newspaper editor and diplomat.
Human-elephant conflict (HEC) is a large threat to both species in certain rural areas of Sri Lanka. About 250 elephants and 80 people die each year, and property is also destroyed. Most elephant calves are killed by the hunting method known as "Hakka Pattas" In 2020, the Department of Wildlife Conservation estimated that there were 7,000 elephants in the country. The department's official records show that more than 361 elephants were killed in 2019. Sri Lanka has the highest number of elephant kills of any country in the world.
The 2022 Sri Lankan protests were a series of mass protests that began in March 2022 against the government of Sri Lanka. The government was heavily criticized for mismanaging the Sri Lankan economy, which led to a subsequent economic crisis involving severe inflation, daily blackouts, and a shortage of fuel, domestic gas, and other essential goods. The protesters' main demand was the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and key officials from the Rajapaksa family. Despite the involvement of several opposition parties, most protesters considered themselves to be apolitical, with many expressing discontent with the parliamentary opposition. Protesters chanted slogans such as "Go Home Gota", "Go Home Rajapaksas", and "Aragalayata Jaya Wewa". Most protests were organized by the general public, with youths playing a major part by carrying out protests at Galle Face Green.
Chamila Gamage is a Sri Lankan Contemporary Artist and Sculptor. His innate talent can be seen through number of different mediums including painting and drawing, sculpting and set designing. Chamila's styles are abstract art, modern art, expressionism art.