The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS), in partnership with the Geoffrey Bawa Moonamal Award, will host its November monthly lecture as a joint public lecture titled ‘Driving Co-existence: Infrastructure and Policy for Connected Landscapes’ on Tuesday, 17 November.
Conducted under the Nations Trust Bank (NTB) WNPS Monthly Lecture Series and supported by the High Commission of India, the event features renowned conservation expert Dr. Ramesh Kumar Pandey.
Dr. Pandey, Additional Director General of Forests (Wildlife) & Director, Wildlife Preservation at India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, brings nearly 30 years of expertise in elephant conservation, wildlife corridor design, protected-area management, and environmental enforcement. A recipient of the 2019 UN Asia Environmental Enforcement Award, Dr. Pandey will explore how policy frameworks and intelligent infrastructure planning can ensure human development and wildlife conservation thrive together.
In anticipation of his visit, Dr. Pandey said: “It is a great opportunity to address audiences in Colombo through this joint platform. Across South Asia, our critical challenge lies in designing infrastructure that preserves ecological connectivity. I look forward to sharing practical strategies on how policy and planning can create landscapes where both communities and wildlife coexist harmoniously, based on India’s examples of mitigation and compensatory measures in such cases.”
This lecture forms part of an ongoing knowledge series designed to build public awareness around the core principles of the inaugural Geoffrey Bawa Moonamal Award: decentring the human, reversing environmental degradation, fostering ecological regeneration, and driving interdisciplinary collaboration. With applications currently open across two categories – Built Environment and Public Policy Solutions – the event seeks to inspire practitioners to submit Sri Lankan projects and solutions that harmonise human needs with natural ecosystems. Applications for the awards close on 15 January 2027.
As an institutional partner of the Moonamal Award, WNPS is eager to co-host this session as part of its commitment to science-based conservation, public education, and constructive policy dialogue. For WNPS, facilitating discussions on connected landscapes directly supports its mission to address habitat fragmentation and mitigate human-wildlife conflict across the island.
The WNPS Monthly Lecture Series is supported by Nations Trust Bank, while Allianz Insurance and Asian Paints are supporters of the Moonamal Award. The event will be held at the Jasmine Hall, BMICH, from 6 p.m. onwards on Tuesday 17 November.
Attendance is open to WNPS members and non-members.
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