WNPS monthly lecture tomorrow on ‘Asian Elephant Conservation: The Long Road Ahead’

'Safe under mum's shadow' - Pic by Vasantha Jayasooriya

 Asian elephants once ranged from West Asia through the Indian subcontinent and north to the Yangtze River- Pic by Ravihara Jeewakarathne

Nilanga Jayasinghe

Today, there are less than50,000 wild elephants found in only 13 countries across Asia- Pic by Chathura Jayasanka

Interesting elephantbehavior can be observed during 'The Gathering'

The Wildlife and Nature Protection (WNPS) will hold its monthly lecture on 23 September focusing on the ‘Asian Elephant Conservation: The Long Road Ahead’ delivered by Nilanga Jayasinghe at 7 p.m. via Zoom and FB Live. 

WNPS said Asian elephants once ranged from West Asia, through the Indian subcontinent, and all the way north to the Yangtze River in China. Today, there are less than 50,000 wild elephants found in only 13 countries across Asia. Living on the most populous continent on the planet means that Asian elephants face the common threats of habitat loss and resulting human-elephant conflict across their entire range. 

To prevent further declines, addressing these and other threats are of paramount importance. To further elephant conservation, WWF works in 11 range countries to support human-elephant conflict management, community engagement, elephant population assessments, radio collaring to understand elephant movement, and reducing impacts to elephants from linear infrastructure, among others. Join WWF’s Nilanga Jayasinghe to learn more about the various efforts to support Asian elephant conservation.

The lecturer Nilanga Jayasinghe is a Manager on the Wildlife Conservation team at WWF, focusing on Asian species, particularly elephants, rhinos, tigers, and snow leopards, among others. She has nearly 20 years of extensive experience in international species conservation and has worked on conservation issues across the board in Asia, Africa, and North America. Her areas of expertise include human-wildlife conflict, Asian elephants, strategic planning, connectivity conservation, protected area management, capacity building, and technological applications for wildlife conservation. 

She is a member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG) and the Asian Rhino Specialist Group (AsRSG) under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Species Survival Commission (SSC), and a member of the Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group under the IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas. 

In her role, Nilanga works with WWF field teams and partners in more than 15 countries in Asia to further conservation efforts on the ground for WWF’s priority flagship species. She provides technical support for species conservation and management efforts and mobilises resources to accomplish conservation activities. In addition, she works with global partners to develop and implement initiatives that harmonise species conservation with broader conservation goals.

NTB WNPS Public Lecture is presented in association with Nations Trust Bank and open to all. Please sign up at https://forms.gle/WoHurA2n2465k6Y76 to participate.