Nature seen as the foundation of Sri Lanka's industries

“When businesses and governments define what constitutes value, they are very far from the bottom,” said Dilmah Tea Chairman Dr. Dilhan C. Fernando, addressing recently ‘Genesis by Dilmah’ in Colombo — a forum that explored how rainforest conservation and sustainable livelihoods can merge meaningfully with commerce.

- By IrHaM NIzAM

Dilmah Tea Chairman Dr. Dilhan C. Fernando

Fernando’s call was clear: Sri Lankan businesses must move beyond rhetoric and embed sustainability into their very core — not as charity or compliance, but as value creation.

“Would the Nine Arches Bridge stripped of its natural ecosystem have the same appeal? Would Ceylon Tea taste the same without the mist and the soil that define it? Absolutely not, he said. “Nature is not a backdrop to our industries — it is the foundation.”

The event, themed “Connecting Rainforest Communities and Livelihoods,” brought together scientists, corporate leaders and conservationists in an effort to reposition Sri Lanka’s green assets as central to its economic recovery and global brand identity.