Islands of Hope: Geoffrey Bawa Trust and WNPS PLANT unite to restore Lanka's vanishing ecosystems

In a landmark collaboration that blends ecological stewardship with cultural heritage, the Geoffrey Bawa Trust, through its partner The Lunuganga Trust, has joined with the Preserving Land and Nature (Guarantee) Limited (PLANT), to restore and further protect two island locations in the mangrove rich southern region of Sri Lanka.

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Launched with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed recently, this long-term initiative revolves around Honduwa and Appaladuwa, two ecologically significant but often overlooked islands nestled in the tranquil waters of the Bentota lagoon, a news release from the Wild Life and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) said.

Spanning over 24 acres of mangrove and semi-forested land, the islands are dedicated to long-term conservation and habitat restoration with specific targets outlined in the MoU. At a time when forest preservation in Sri Lanka is heavily reliant on state-managed reserves, this partnership is a further testament to a visionary model spearheaded by the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) for private land conservation, where civil society and heritage stewards take the lead in protecting biodiversity.

The Geoffrey Bawa Trust: Where Architecture Meets Ecology

Founded to protect and promote the legacy of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated architect, the Geoffrey Bawa Trust manages a portfolio of architectural and landscape treasures, including the iconic Lunuganga Estate. The Lunuganga Trust bears the organization’s ecological mandate, and stewards associated lands such as Honduwa and Appaladuwa, originally set aside by Geoffrey Bawa for environmental preservation. Building on Bawa’s emphasis on ecology and environmental studies as complements to art and architecture, the Trust today advances that vision through conservation projects (www.geoffreybawa.com). The presence of the Critically Endangered Hog Deer (Axis porcinus) on Honduwa island makes the conservation initiative especially significant.