Developing a non-governmental organization (NGO) network to support planning and implementation of the Sri Lankan biodiversity action plan (BAP)

Sri Lanka possesses tremendous untapped potential of broad-based and well established community based organizations and a diversity of environmentally oriented NGOs, as well as a solid foundation of scientifically trained academic professionals with advanced degrees. Furthermore, the Ministry of Environment, Transport, and Women"s Affairs has displayed far reaching leadership in involving grassroots organizations in national policies of natural resource use and management. Still lacking, however, are strong institutional linkages and an established network or cooperative arrangements such as are needed to integrate, both horizontally and vertically, the diversity of human resources and organizations dealing with natural resource issues across Sri Lanka today. Moreover, a concerted effort is needed to build stronger relationships among all the players and to assist in the formation of local, regional, national as well as international collaborative arrangements. Although a large pool of talented and active NGOs are working in the country, their skills in developing projects and producing competitive proposals for funding could be substantially improved. Consequently, the major objectives of this short-term consultancy were to identify the interested parties, to encourage their participation, to build links among participants, and to begin to develop their skills in the proposal writing process. This report summarizes the activities conducted during a short-term consultancy from May 6 to May 26, 1995. Included in the report are summaries of the results of two workshops developed specifically for a diversity of environmental NGOs, evaluations of brief site and organization meetings visits, identifications of potential obstacles to progress, and recommendations for further action. (Author abstract, modified)