“Wanapetha Handa Nagai”

Wildlife and Nature Protection Society launch

(The Exclamation of the Wilderness)

by Supun Lahiru Prakash

Human Wildlife Conflict is undoubtedly the biggest conservation challenge facing Sri Lanka’s flora and fauna to date. Even though the conflict between humans and major species like elephant and leopard takes center stage in Sri Lanka, the conflict goes beyond that and impacts many other wildlife species. Day by day the competition for shared space between humans and wildlife grows more intense due to human population expansion and encroachment into wildlife habitat, deforestation, habitat fragmentation, live-stock grazing in protected areas and other land-use issues driven by man’s selfish and insatiable habits.

Supun Lahiru Prakash’s “Wanapetha Handa Nagai” book is being released at a crucial time when Sri Lanka’s nature and wildlife is suffering greatly. The book, which primarily targets school children, aims to raise awareness about Sri Lanka’s human-wildlife conflict by compelling the reader to see the world through the eyes of the wildlife. The book is rich in high quality photographs taken by some of Sri Lanka’s leading wildlife conservationists, photographers as well as rangers from Sri Lanka’s Department of Wildlife Conservation. Written beautifully in Sinhala, using emotive language, the book aims to persuade the reader to become empathetic towards the day-to-day struggles facing our wildlife. The book is dedicated to the brave field officers of the Department of Wildlife Conservation in Sri Lanka, who risk their lives daily to protect Sri Lanka’s precious wildlife species.

WNPS is proud to join hands with Supun Lahiru Prakash on the inaugural release of his book and has printed 1000 copies which are to be distributed free of charge to pub

lic libraries through the WNPS District Representative’s Program. The book will also be available for free download through the WNPS website from 3rd September 2021.

Founded in 1894, the Wildlife & Nature Protection Society (WNPS) focuses on the conservation of wildlife, forests, marine eco-systems as well as endangered species. Their mission is to protect Sri Lanka’s rich natural heritage by galvanising policymakers, scientists, activists, nature lovers and the general public; to preserve nature and wildlife through sustained conservation activities built on science, legislation, education and citizen mobilization. For the last 127 years WNPS has been working with many stakeholders including the government, scientists, researchers, policy makers, conservationists, educators, activists and the public, to protect Sri Lanka’s rich natural heritage of flora and fauna, for our future generations.

We encourage you all to download and read Supun’s Wanapetha Handa Nagai book and to encourage others in your network to do the same.

Please visit https://www.wnpssl.org/publications/