Dilmah Tea, apart from producing some of the best tea in the world, has shown its keenness for environmental conservation, particularly, Nature-based Solutions. In 2018 the Founder of Dilmah Tea, Merrill J. Fernando chose to rewild an area in one of Dilmah’s tea estates located in Endana to create a nature corridor. The Endana Tea Estate, located between two Protected Forest Reserves – Iharakanda and Walangkanda, meant that it could provide a strong link to connect these two patches of protected forest separated by tea lands and human settlements. Found close to Sri Lanka’s only rainforest: Sinharaja, the move to connect the two forest reserves would allow plant life and wildlife to make their way across to the other reserve, leading to higher biodiversity in that area.
The Endana Nature Corridor is a 3 Km-long forested pathway that is being established with the help of a team of research scientists led by Professors Nimal and Savithri Gunatilleke, and Dr Nalaka Geekiyanage in the Rathnapura District of Sri Lanka. The corridor is spread across 60 acres taken from the Endana Tea Estate, 2.1 acres taken from active tea plantations and a few more acres of abandoned tea lands in the area.
What’s a Nature Corridor?
Due to human activity and development, most known National Parks and Forest Reserves in Sri Lanka are scattered and isolated. When animals want to move from one forest to another, they must brave roads, highways, and human populated areas at their own peril. However, a Nature Corridor also known as a biodiversity corridor can act as a bridge of sorts for animals and even plant life (think seed dispersal) to safely cross from one location to the other.
What are Nature-based Solutions?
Nature-based Solutions use nature’s principles to address contemporary challenges that we face as a society while restoring or safeguarding biodiversity and human well-being. NbSs spring from the knowledge that healthy ecosystems can provide services to humans much more than ailing ecosystems.
But what exactly makes Endana Nature Corridor a Nature-based Solution?
1. Inspired by nature
The planting method of Endana Nature Corridor mimics the natural succession of the forest floor. This would ensure that over time a forest comes up, is sustainable and can evolve on its own. This method is officially known as the Relay Floristics Method and is a tried and tested method based on science-based forestry principles. It has three phases. First, sun-loving, fast growing, pioneer tree species are planted to restore the bare or degraded land. In the next phase, once pioneer species have sprung-up we can plant native trees that require neither too much sun or shade. By now the forest is taking shape and is ideal for endemic varieties such as Sri Lankan Olive and Breadfruit to be planted.
2. Contribute to Biodiversity
The two Forest Reserves, Walangkanda and Iharakanda, are home to many creatures and plant life. When a baseline survey was done in 2018 of the proposed area of the nature corridor 61 tree species and 201 animal species including 34 endemic species were recorded. Among them a total of 53 species of butterflies, 16 species of dragonflies, 12 species of amphibians, 28 species of reptiles, 03 species of fishes, 74 species of birds and 15 species of mammals were recorded. Around 20 of these animal species are threatened. Therefore, the Nature Corridor will conserve and encourage an increase in numbers of tree and animal species on the site by allowing safe passage to migrate from one to the other leading to higher biodiversity.
3. Benefits to People
The ENC project adopts an approach that requires community participation for long-term sustainability of the project. The Endana Estate community and residents live close to the forest and use forest resources for their livelihoods and activities such as cooking and obtaining animal fodder. Therefore, it is important to involve them in the project to ensure that forest resources are used sustainably going forward.
Following a long-term survey of the villagers and their home gardens, the community was introduced to programmes such as beekeeping, animal husbandry and organic farming. After monitoring their progress, participating community members who have met specific criteria will be rewarded through educational scholarships for their children and monetary awards.
4. Ecological Benefits that can be measured
Imagine how much it would cost to generate the oxygen that we breathe for free? Ecosystem services have an economic value. If we do not protect the sources that produce the air, water and food and we let them degrade it would be more costly to restore than it would be to protect them. A calculation made in 2011 estimated that the ecological wealth of this corridor would be around $382,362.
5. Cost Effective
Since forests provide certain services to humans, strengthening biodiversity further improves those services. For instance, letting a forest take over this plot of degraded tea estate land would improve the water table levels in this area.
Endana Nature Corridor is one of several initiatives under Dilmah Tea’s Green Recovery Programme that aims to improve green cover in several parts of Sri Lanka – a goal in line with the UN Decade of Restoration. Dilmah is invested in environmental conservation through its sustainability arm Dilmah Conservation
Learn more about the Endana Nature Corridor here
Why Does A Family Tea Business Have a Climate Research Centre?
Tea is a product of the elements – the rain, the sunshine, and the soil all play a part in bestowing its inimitable taste. When climatic factors begin to change, it can affect the quality of tea. So it is important to have measures in place to adapt to changes that are beyond our control: like climate change. Further Dilmah is a business that operates with a deep conviction that business must help the people and the planet – Its motto is “Family business serving humanity through kindness to people and nature”. Driven by the need to conserve the environment and those that call it home, the Founder Merrill J. Fernando established a sustainability arm for Dilmah called Dilmah Conservation. As the science of climate change began to evolve, Dilmah Conservation established the Climate Change Research Centre at its One Earth Centre in Nawalapitiya. The goal was to address the lack of scientific research of climate change in Sri Lanka, by facilitating the development of adaptation and mitigation strategies.
According to a study by Nature and Climate Change, global agricultural productivity has reduced by 21% since 1961. We are putting in more inputs and getting less yield. And over time the quality of the produce has also reduced. Scientists and researchers have drawn a link between these changes and Climate Change. For businesses in food and agri it is important that they find ways of mitigating and adapting to climate Change.
The Climate Change Centre
Located in Dilmah’s Queensberry Estate, Nawalapitiya in the hill country of Sri Lanka the Climate Change Centre is surrounded by lush tea gardens, beautiful vistas and high plant and animal biodiversity. The centre facilitates student, national and international researchers at the centre. The Centre is equipped to enable advanced research and thereby comprises two complete sets of DAVIS weather stations, mobile air quality monitor and outdoor air quality monitoring system, with live feed. It is also empowered with stereo and contrast microscopes with a field-level lab area to conduct immediate analysis and identification on-site during the research work. Up-to-date the centre has enabled 30 research among which, are 03 international researches.
Up-to-date the centre has enabled 30 research among which, 03 are international researches.
Some of the noteworthy climate research projects:
1. Impacts of Pollution in Forests
Pollution, more specifically climate change causing Greenhouse gases such as Nitrate and Ammonia, has a harmful impact on forest species sensitive to pollution. Since the Queensberry Estate has an abundance of lichen (a plant like organism made of alga and fungi that is an indicator of a healthy environment), the Dilmah climate change centre was ideal and therefore chosen for a long-term study into the effects of ammonia pollution on Sri Lankan lichen species.
So what?
South Asia is one of the hotspots of pollution which now reaches even remote forest ecosystems. Research into the impacts of pollution is lacking and therefore is not considered when making policies. This international research spearheaded by the South Asian Nitrogen Hub (SANH) can bridge the gap and help in making headway into controlling GHG emissions for Sri Lanka to contribute effectively to sustainable development and a healthy nation.
Research Title: Assessment of Nitrogen Air Pollution Impacts on Forest Ecosystems by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh and National History Museum 2020- Present
Research Team : Dr. Gothamie Weerakoon, Prof. S. P. Nissanka, Prof. Mark Sutton, Dr. Matthew R Jones, and Prof Dave Reay
2. Climate Change Effects on Tropical Rainforests
Sri Lanka is facing increasing temperatures and altered rainfall patterns – considered to be a major aspect of long-term climate change. This research was designed to assess the effects of long-term climate change on tropical rainforests in Sri Lanka.
So what?
The responses have been favourable for the applications on the selected vegetation. Based on the findings further research is being carried out to identify the indicator lichen species and other ferns. Research to uncover the effects of climate factors on ammonia impacts and the relationship between these components with the agricultural practices is also underway.
Research Title: Forest Ecology and Climate Change – Prof. Costa from Peradeniya University and other students from Jaffna and Rajarata University – 2018 – 2020.
Research Team: Prof. Janendra De Costa, University of Peradeniya, Miss. Nimaka Sanjeewani, University of Jaffna, and Dr. Sampath Wahala, Sabaragamuwa University
3. Assessing the Biodiversity around the Climate Change Centre
The centre sits surrounded by tea gardens in Dilmah’s Queensberry Estate teeming with biodiversity. To conserve the animal biodiversity, the animal population in the area needed to be monitored. Baseline research was conducted around the Climate Research Centre using camera traps using camera traps, line transects, point counts, opportunistic observations, dung beetle traps and previous records.
So What?
The study documented the diversity of bird, butterfly, dung beetles and mammals in select forest locations adjoining the Queensberry estate. This data can serve as a baseline for future research to assess the impact of climate change on the biodiversity in the area.
Research Title: Introducing Novel Technologies for Better Conservation Management of Agricultural Landscape
Research Team: Prof. Enoka Kudavidhanage, Ravi Amarasinghe,Asanka Jayasuriya, Bimal Herath, V. A. T. Prabashwara, Amila Perera, Thilina Dilsara.
4. Impact of Climate on Tea Harvest
The ultra-sensitivity of tea crop and its yield against climatic factors such as increasing temperatures and soil moisture the low elevations are well proven over the last 100 years, stating that the tea industry in Sri Lanka is clearly vulnerable to predicted climate changes, and greater economic, social and environmental problems.
Research title: Impact of weather patterns and the terrain factors on tea productivity – University of Colombo – 2018- present
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Agriculture cannot evolve in silo without considering the changes in weather patterns, soil, water tables and more. With Climate Change, the agricultural sector must find new ways of adapting and mitigation. To do so evidence in Sri Lankan context is lacking. Studying the impacts of climate change on Sri Lanka’s forests, Sri Lankan soil and Sri Lankan weather can arm the sector with the resources to be more climate resilient.
