'Man did not weave the web of life...'

He is merely a strand in it:

by Sajitha Prematunge

Late Mr. Lyn De Alwis, the former Director of the Zoological Gardens Dehiwala and world renowned academic and nature lover founded the YZA in 1972. Partly a quest to fill the void of enthusiastic youth, armed with extensive knowledge on principles and application of environmental sciences, to act as conservationists, it has now evolved in to one of the oldest non governmental organizations as well as a non-profit voluntary organization with more than enough backing from a very capable and vigorous group of young exceeding six hundred dynamic individuals.

Have you ever been able to keep all your senses open long enough to hear the chirping of birds, croaking of frogs and the whistling of crickets during dusk and dawn, let alone identify what species of bird or frog they are? If not then your senses are not yet trained.

Bird watching requires a lot of patience. Even with a minimum amount of movement, it may take hours to catch a glimpse of a bird in the wild. Example me. I'm yet to discover this particular pleasure.

Ever listened to the croaking of a frog?

A painting from the exhibition; Shadows of Nature

Roughly a year ago I went to an exhibition - "Young eye on nature" organized by the Young Zoologists Association. And I realized that not all hope was lost.

The 'Young Zoologists Association' teaches you to be exceptional observers, to camouflage yourself and to blend with nature, to be mindful keeping your senses open and armed with instinct, wisdom and previous experience these young conservationists are ready to take on the challenges of Sri Lankan Wildlife conservation.

Late Mr. Lyn De Alwis, the former Director of the Zoological Gardens Dehiwala and world renowned academic and nature lover founded the YZA in 1972.

Partly a quest to fill the void of enthusiastic youth, armed with extensive knowledge on principles and application of environmental sciences, to act as conservationists, it has now evolved in to one of the oldest non governmental organizations as well as a non-profit voluntary organization with more than enough backing from a very capable and vigorous group of young exceeding six hundred dynamic individuals. Their expertise is unparallel in the field of wildlife conservation.

Other than knowledge of conservation the members learn how to work together with professionals in the field and acquire experience working with different organizations.

The Junior YZA has played an instrumental role in instilling conservation habits from a very young age. In fact it had served as the first school for many leading Environmentalists and Naturalists of our country.

Majority of the members consist of school children and undergraduates and the balance, young professionals and nature lovers under the age of 35.

Based at the Zoological Gardens Dehiwala, the mutually rewarding relationship the YZA has with the management has been an immense service. The zoo offers the chance for the YZA members to study the captive animals in close proximity, within their own environment.

The intension is to get the maximum out of the zoo, in terms of scientific education. The members are also trained to be alert and observe animal behaviour.

They always remember to lend a helping hand to the zoo in putting up infrastructure like the aviary and reptilian park, while making the enclosures feel as natural as possible for the animals.

The YZA members also conduct the pets corner or the childrens corner of the zoo, where some animals are taken out of their cages and are allowed to be handled by kids. The objective is to generate compassion in childrentowards animals.

Protecting the environment through education is one of the organizations main initiatives. Through educational programmes conducted through out the year, all the members receive proper education along the lines of five major study groups - mammals, birds, reptiles, aquatic species and flora.

They also have the opportunity to hone their artistic talents through supplementary classes on wildlife art and photography, conducted by YZA members themselves. The annual exhibitions"Shadows of nature" held in the Art Gallery and "Young Eye on Nature" on photography held at the British Council Auditorium are the fruits of their labour.

More over lectures, workshops and seminars are held on various spheres related to conservation. With an emphasis on field activities. Lectures and workshops are conducted in schools and Sunday schools spanning the whole country throughout the year. Education programmes are based mostly on field visits, the main source of knowledge transfer from one generation to the other.

Since the last decade the YZA has been more focused on research. The YZA has conducted a large number of bio-diversity surveys and conservation management studies of degradation of ecosystems in the country. Researches are conducted on voluntary basis as well as on request by both governmental and non governmental organizations. In fact some of the more professional researches done are still being praised to this day.

The effects of the organization is permeated to the general public through the education, research, action, publications and public relations committees. The research committee by conducting research aids the conservation process by its findings.

Some of the researches carried out by the YZA during the last few years are "Ecological survey of the Bellanwila Attiditya Sanctuary", "Ecological survey and preparation of management plan for Bolgoda Wetland", "Ecological survey and preparation of management plan for Dombagaskanda Rain forest", "Preparation of tropical forest register of Sri Lanka", "Introduction of analogue forestry to Ratnapura District", "A research project on the very diverse and unique ecosystem of Walauwatta Waturana" and "Bio-diversity study in the Aduragala Forest and its vicinity".

The publications committee is responsible for the publication of the quarterly News letters for the members, the Annual magazines "Tith muwa" and "Sri Lanka Naturalist". The environmental action committee is in charge of laying the ground work - campaigns, protests, and such movements for conservation purposes.

The main objective of this particular committee is to find solutions for the environment problems through active participation, while keeping the public as well as authorities informed of the potentially damaging repercussions of certain environmental issues.

Some of the actions taken by the action committee of the YZA is informing the authorities of illegal logging, illegal exporting of wild life and collections of plants, with the help of other organizations and the public, demonstrations were carried out against the Municipal Council of Dehiwala - Mt-Lavinia for dumping garbage in the Bellanwila Attidiya Sanctuary.

The closing down of the Ahungalla zoo was partly the result of the protests by the YZA, against converting it to the first private zoo in Sri Lanka.

More over the YZA frequently carries out shramadana programmes in various nature reserves and protected areas. Most of their work is continuous. For example a project was carried out to collect garbage specially polythene containers and clean up Peak Wilderness sanctuary.

The garbage accumulating in the area, due to the annual pilgrimage, had become a huge threat to the environment.

To reduce the damage done to the environment of the Hallokaya Mukalana Forest reserve by the construction of the Kukule Ganga Hydro Power Station and the road development program. Recently a Uelax europaeus eradication campaign programme was conducted with the collaboration of the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

The society has become so hectic and complex that humans have to spend almost twenty years of their lives on education just to survive in it. But sadly we have forgotten our roots, that 'man did not weave the web of life, he's merely a strand in it'.

The mission of the YZA is to protect nature through education, while making it a point to see that the most intelligent species of the animal kingdom live in harmony with his fellow creatures, utilizing the benefits of his surroundings while not forgetting that he alone can make it or break it.

The Young Zoologists Association nurtures and instills in the hearts of the people that conservation is a habit and not an activity. Their selfless dedication to the cause of environmental conservation is a true example.

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