Wednesday Dec 25, 2024
Wednesday Dec 25, 2024
Wednesday, 20 November 2024 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Nations Trust Bank-Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) Monthly Lecture on 21 November at 6.00 p.m. Lotus Hall BMICH will put spotlight on “Confronting the crisis of illegal wildlife trade and bio-piracy.”
The lecture will be delivered by Samantha Gunasekara and Hasantha Kaushalya, two of Sri Lanka’s leading experts on illegal wildlife trade (IWT).
Former Deputy Director of Customs Samantha Gunasekara is a leader in wildlife protection, credited with establishing World’s first customs Biodiversity protection cell and has over 30 years in wildlife crime detection and anti-corruption in wildlife crimes. He has led significant efforts in wildlife crime detection, initiated the Sri Lanka Customs Museum, and contributed to national conservation efforts. Recognised with the Presidential Environmental award, he serves on multiple biodiversity committees and is a sought-after lecturer in conservation.
Hasantha Kaushalya is a prominent figure in counter-wildlife trafficking with over 15 years of experience at Sri Lanka Customs. As a World Customs Organisation (WCO) accredited expert on Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT), he has led technical missions and training workshops for Customs authorities across Asia and Africa. Known for his expertise in detecting and investigating cross-border wildlife crimes in Sri Lanka, Hasantha has also developed a comprehensive training program to strengthen wildlife trafficking enforcement within Customs. His achievements have earned him the 2023 WCO Certificate of Merit for knowledge-sharing and the Wildlife Law Enforcement Excellence Award from the Sri Lanka Wildlife Enforcement Network (SLaWEN).
The WNPS said it is committed to driving awareness and action on critical conservation issues. Through its monthly lecture series, WNPS brings to the forefront the often-overlooked crisis of IWT and biopiracy—issues that threaten not only Sri Lanka’s biodiversity but the global ecological balance. The November edition of Nations Trust WNPS lecture aims to shed light on the dark underworld of wildlife trafficking, expose legal gaps, and highlight the need for collective action to protect natural heritage.
Illegal wildlife trade is a high-stakes, clandestine operation that generates up to $ 23 billion annually, fuelled by complex networks that exploit animals, plants, and entire ecosystems. Despite global regulatory efforts like CITES, the trade continues to grow in sophistication, often outpacing enforcement. Sri Lanka’s unique wildlife, including endangered species like pangolins and star tortoises, is particularly vulnerable to collection, poaching and trafficking, with devastating impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity.
Illegal wildlife trade devastates biodiversity, but biopiracy—exploiting resources through patents—adds a serious, emerging threat. The shift toward “Digital Sequence Information” enables entire genomes of Sri Lanka’s unique species to be exploited, often without consent or awareness.
This month’s lecture presents a unique opportunity for the public and stakeholders to confront these alarming trends and to understand the role they can play in dismantling the networks that fuel IWT. WNPS invites all who care about wildlife conservation to join this critical session and take a stand against the exploitation of Sri Lanka’s natural resources.
