By Nimal Chandrasena –

Kumar David’s recent article brought the NPP/JVP ‘Rapid Response’ to ‘Overcome Current Challenges’ document to my attention. As it reads like an abridged policy statement, I looked for some key globally-important themes in it and could not help noticing that some critically-important themes were inadequately dealt with or were completely missing in the document. This brief article is an effort to bring those deficiencies to the attention of the policy developers of the JVP/NPP.

‘Rapid responses’ are urgent actions that need to be taken to prevent the further decay of Sri Lanka, as a Nation. In many ways, other motherland is like a pretty sick patient brought to the hospital Emergency Department. People trained in rapid, emergency responses are needed to prevent a certain death from occurring. While I thank the NPP/JVP for thinking about the need for quite urgent, remedial action needed to ‘save the patient’, a broader ‘consultation’ with the public, including the scientific and humanities communities, would have brought out the thematic deficiencies I am alluding to. 

I guess the document had been prepared, at least partly, in a rush. The document is dated December 2021; it is now, due for a review and revision, and perhaps a bit of expansion. I presume the writers were too eager, and the situation in the country was so dire, even in those days, leading up to the debacles of 2022. They may have missed some aspects, which some readers might also argue are ‘details’. I beg to differ.

The most profound theme missing is “Biodiversity”. Two other critical themes: “Sustainability” and “Climate change” do get a cursory mention on pages 1 and 8, respectively, but in a limited context. Approaches to dealing with issues related to all of them apply in one form or another to most aspects and enterprises that the NPP is proposing under ‘rapid responses’. 

Formative ideas behind these terms have been around for more than three decades. They also go well beyond short-term, quick-acting ‘rapid responses’ and solutions. These themes must be components of any country’s journey towards longer-term and more permanent solutions for its citizens.

I don’t think that these ‘big ticket’ items are details to be worked out later. They ought to be captured in strategies and tactics aimed at building societies that value Nature and the life of both plants and animals and have sufficient resilience to meet the challenges of the impending climate change scenarios.

The way Sri Lanka presently is – a process of re-building the broken society ‘brick-by-brick’ needs to happen, however painful it is. Some prefer to call it ‘system change’. The journey is fraught with danger, especially for the middle class and the poor and disadvantaged. 

But, as someone said, we must be thankful to the corrupt and defunct regimes of the recent past for bringing forth the deeply-entrenched decay in Sri Lankan society, which had been papered over for too long. Forget about being “Asia’s Miracle”; such comments are now crude jokes at the Conferences I attend. As a country, we have indeed reached the nadir; the only way forward is upwards.

Sustainability 

I was teaching ecology and environmental scient at Colombo University when the Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) framework, championed by Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former PM of Norway (the “Brundtland Report”) was released by the UN in 1987. The report noted that human society is dependent on sustainable uses of Nature’s somewhat limited resources. It defined ESD as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

The modern use of the term ‘Sustainability’ goes back to the Brundtland Report. A critical aspect of the report’s pitch was to look at resource use as if we have borrowed from future generations. Automatically, it meant that we must do everything possible to manage resources sustainably so that future generations will not suffer and will not be in debt. It is a shame that Sri Lanka’s political leaders do not really understand such concepts or even if they do, pay only lip service. 

The implementation of strategies that are ‘sustainable’ widely varies in different countries. But, bringing it to the centre of discourses is what I am interested in. Even in my personal life, I insist on questioning non-sustainable household practices. Training gives me the discipline to logically think about the reasons why something is unsustainable. Every aspect of human activities and their potential impacts on the Planet should be framed around this key concept. Should we not be training everyone to think so?

The education of our society in sustainable practices should not be limited to schools; it must be a central theme in the day-to-day operations of all institutions, including Universities. ESD messages should become the norm in education. I lament that the current generation of Sri Lankans is ill-prepared in this regard.

This aspect is important for the policy platforms and manifestos of every political party. My advice to the JVP/NPP and the emerging forces of the technology-driven “Aragalaya” champions and their budding political ambitions is to start framing policies capturing the essence of sustainability.

As in the NPP/JVP document, occasionally, I hear hints on critical but sustainable financial practices, especially from a host of young political aspirants. Their concern are quite valid as the country’s economy is likely to be debt-ridden for a long time to time. But financial sustainability is only one aspect of the society. Sustainability, as a ‘frame of mind’ must be a greatly expanded ethos that should be sufficiently well articulated across the board for all types of societal applications. 

I believe that the young champions and leaders will be part of the ‘Salvation Army’ we seek to ‘rebuild’ Sri Lanka. To serve everyone equally, these courageous and emerging leaders MUST hit the right notes on sustainable practices in all areas of endeavour and be ready to take on the challenges. There are various tools and thinking frames already available in other countries to articulate sustainability into every day life.

Biodiversity

The term biodiversity, abbreviated for biological diversity, was first coined in 1985 in the USA by Walter G. Rosen to bring political attention to protecting vulnerable species. 

The incredibly powerful term is now a rallying call in ecology to convey that Nature is a complex mix of species interactions between all living forms. It was the renowned conservationist Raymond F. Dasmann who first used the all-encompassing term – biological diversity – in his 1968 book A Different Kind of Country. Even in the 1970s, when I studied at the Colombo University, it was common to refer to plants and animal diversity as separate entities: ‘plant diversity’ and ‘animal diversity’.

The most unique feature of the earth is its biological life, and the most amazing feature of this life on earth is its biological diversity. Approximately 9 million types (species) of plants, animals, protists and fungi inhabit the Earth. So, too, do more than eight billion people.

Human actions are responsible for dismantling the Earth’s ecosystems, eliminating genes, species and biological traits at an alarming rate. These were highlighted at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. “Biodiversity” (or biological diversity), is a term that encompasses all animals, plants, micro-organisms and most importantly, their genes. All need protection because humans continue to have the greatest impact on causing biodiversity losses.

Protecting biodiversity, especially in a well-established “Hot Spot” like Sri Lanka, while making our agriculture productive, is quite a challenge. The NPP/JVP “Rapid Responses” want to build capacity on supply chains and value-adding to agricultural products. While these are critical for societal benefits for at least a quarter of our population and need a well-thought-out plan, the absence of a dedicated statement and a commitment to protecting biodiversity demonstrates an inadequacy that can be easily rectified. There is so much to learn from frameworks well-developed in other countries.

As highlighted by the intensifying conflicts with elephants, and damages to the world heritage montane forests, especially the Sinharaja forest reserve and the destructive palm oil industry, skilful management is needed, and this requires people with expertise in overseeing such complex problems.

Recent questions seeking my advice from Sri Lanka include how we manage weedy species, like lantana (Lantana camara, ‘gandapana’), water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes, ‘Japan jabara) and gorse (Ulex europaeus), especially in high-value biodiversity hot spots. In an article, published in December 2022, I pointed out the deficiencies in the country’s preparedness to manage lantana and suggested the way forward [1]. 

Investments, knowledge exchange, consultations, collaborations and community participation are needed in managing such issues and biodiversity. Sadly, the collapse of Sri Lanka’s social fabric and financial stability, due to corruption, over at least the past 15 years (post-war) has ensured that as a Nation we are wooden spooners in the fast-developing Asian region.

The scientific complexities of understanding causes and effects are why most people push global biodiversity losses and linkages to human impacts to the margins of their consciousness. Some people deny the linkages altogether. Nevertheless, a clear message emerging from innumerable ecological studies is that increased biodiversity often leads to greater, and less variable, levels of ecosystem functioning. That means, the richer the biodiversity, the lesser the threat of extinction of plant and animal species.

Any policy statement from political aspirants would be deficient if it did not give a cast iron guarantee to the people of Sri Lanka and the global community that there will be strong laws and regulations to protect the biological diversity of Sri Lanka, once deemed a paradise for botanists and zoologists. Lest I be accused of ignorance, I am very much aware of the biodiversity frameworks in Sri Lanka and the continuing efforts of a few resolute scientists, public officials and NGOs. Protection of biodiversity and associated positive publicity is also critically important for tourism as these stories are carried overseas.

The illegal deforestation and land grab by the rich and powerful must be stopped completely while the laws and regulations on protecting biodiversity are strengthened. Perhaps, the Law Faculties and the Law College should also focus more on teaching what is possible through Environmental Legislation. Again, there is so much to learn from other countries where environmental and biodiversity protection is central and ‘core’ National themes in the discourses, not marginal elements anymore. 

We must also have the confidence to seek the assistance of AusAID, USAID and other international donors for developing the required frameworks, education and training and even in fine-tuning the legislation. Global engagement, in my view, has been a dismal failure in Sri Lanka’s position in the world during the past two or three decades. 

No one believes anymore that the “Paradise of the Indian Ocean” had an education system that was second to none in the developing world, particularly in the 1960s. As baby boomers, we were privileged; but we MUST strive to make things better for future generations.

Climate change 

The NPP/JVP “Rapid Responses” make a passing mention of climate change and a ‘green’ deal for projects. But it must recognize that Climate change and its effects are, perhaps, the most significant challenge the current generation faces. Arguments about climate change are daily news in the developed world and also in some developing nations, such as India, Malaysia and Indonesia, which are seriously affected by extreme weather events like bushfires, unprecedented rainfall and frequent flood events. 

Climate change will define the legacy we leave behind for our grandchildren. Much of it was unavoidable with diligent action and can still be reversed with a drastic and unified global action against CO2 pollution of the atmosphere.

Our climate, in Sri Lanka, and elsewhere, has been relatively stable, and humans did not have a global influence until more recently. This has created a mismatch; where our societies developed during a time of relative climate stability, we are now entering a period of rapid change – potentially catastrophic change.

The world is now getting warmer, landscapes fragment, wildlife species perish, ecosystems collapse at alarming rates, and wildfires, drought, and water scarcity engulf people more than ever before. More people are displaced as a result of extreme, unusual, and unseasonal climate events, desertification advances quickly in some countries, and food insecurity is on the rise in many parts of the world.

We must adopt practical global approaches to climate change, which has the potential to drive large numbers of animal and plant species to extinction. Climate change effects also place many human societies and cultures perilously close to the same outcome or at least cause so much global instability from which humans will take a long time to recover. Climate change will also threaten all forms of agriculture, across the globe, including the currently profitable monocultures, genetically-modified (GM) crops, palm-oil plantations and unsustainable pastoralism. Sri Lanka is seriously exposed to these risks.

Many developed countries and emerging Nations are preparing policies related to climate change. Sri Lanka, unfortunately, does not appear in any recent literature on progress, case studies, or global engagement in building the Nation’s capacity to face climate change except for a few articles. 

Many countries are grappling with a wide range of socio-ecological challenges triggered by the interwoven impacts of land-use change and climate change. Fear, alarmism, guilt, and shame are all possible responses to these challenges, but they are unlikely to be effective in motivating the large-scale and long-term change needed to address these challenges. What we need now are effective ways to change including creating widespread hope. In my view, hope, science, cooperation, and innovation are just some of the tools that we need to move toward greater resilience in facing the changing climate.

We live in an era of irresponsible climate change deniers. My adopted country – Australia – has quite a poor record in this regard, as it is among the worst greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters among developed countries, contributing to global warming. Australia’s prosperity, built on coal and other mined resources, is partly to blame. Thankfully, I am not aware of climate denialism in Sri Lanka.

Climate change is such an important topic and MUST be a central tenet in any manifesto document. There should be a serious acknowledgement of the risks and threats of climate change, which are far greater than the cancers of corruption, fraud, and stealing from the poor, from which our motherland has been suffering so much. I hope that the NPP/JVP and other future leaders, who are determined to make a ‘system change’, will embrace these reflections and integrate the ideas of Sustainability, Biodiversity protection and Climate Change Preparedness into their emerging agendas. 

Not doing so would push the beleaguered country and its people further into despair. Not doing so also would prove how naïve and apathetic the citizens have become. 

I hope my reflections would be read with the respect and conscientious diligence I conferred upon the article.

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[1] Nimal Chandrasena & Michael Day (2022). Lantana (Lantana camara L.) biocontrol agents in Australia with possible options for India and Sri Lanka. Weeds, 4(2): 39-47 (Download at: http://apwss.org.in/weeds.aspx?Issueid=8).

*Nimal Chandrasena, a Weed Scientist, was an Associate Professor of Botany, formerly, at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He served the Colombo University from 1977 to July 1993 until he moved to Australia, where he has been a Principal Scientist and Consultant on weeds and vegetation for over 25 years. He is presently the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal WEEDS (the official journal of the Asian-Pacific Weed Science Society; http://apwss.org.in/).