in Sri Lanka - Ministry of Environment

These actions are necessary to ensure long term conservation of Sri Lanka’s biodiversity. TheSCU based at the biodiversity secretariat will act as the coordinating body to initiate theseactions. However, as can be seen, successful completion of these tasks will require great dealof inter-agency cooperation without which conservation of the biodiversity of Sri Lanka willindubitably fail.The future of the species diversity of Sri Lanka lies in gathering solid scientific baseline data,analysing these data using the best possible methods, identifying gaps and priorities basedon these scientific foundations and developing conservation action plans from the informationgathered. It is essential that these efforts are buttressed by conservation education thatcreates awareness not only about the threats facing species and their current status, but alsoabout the role each stakeholder can play in the conservation of Sri Lanka’s flora and fauna. Itis only when such a holistic and scientifically-based effort is made that engages and involvesall stakeholders that conservation will move from being rhetoric to effective action. In such aneffort, Redlisting is pivotal as a scientific tool that facilitates conservation.352