Jagath Gunawardana

Jagath Gunawardana (Sinhala: ජගත් ගුණවර්ධන) is a lawyer, environmentalist and educator based in Sri Lanka.[1][2] Gunawardana is known for his advocacy in wildlife conservation[3] and environmental protection.[4]

Attorney-at-law

Jagath Gunawardana
Born1961
NationalitySri Lankan
EducationL.L.B
Attorney
PhD
Alma materSri Lanka Law College
OccupationLawyer
Known forEnvironmental activism, Volunteerism, Advocacy
AwardsPresidential Award for the Excellency in the Field of Environment
Harithabhimani - Presidential Award for the Excellency in the Field of Wildlife
HonoursHonorary PhD
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Early life and education

Gunawardana was born in 1961 in Sri Lanka. He completed a Diploma in Agriculture at the Aquinas University College[5] with first-class honours. Later, he went on to become a lawyer by graduating from the Sri Lankan Law College.

He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sri Jayawardenapura for his contributions towards environmental protection.[6][7][8]

Activism and work

In 1986, he joined the Ceylon Bird Club and in 1987 he joined the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka.[9]

He is an advisor to the Environmental Foundation Limited and a Senior Instructor of the Young Zoologist Association[10] which he joined in 1978 where he volunteers to educate youth on environmental conservation.[11]

Gunawardana also serves as a member of the National Environment Council of Central Environmental Authority (CEA).[12][13]

His work involves environmental policy amendments,[14] awareness on the legal aspect of environmental issues[15][16][17][18] and environmental awareness to strengthen conservation.[19][20][21] [22]

Awards and recognition

In 2016, Gunawardana was awarded the Presidential Award for the Excellency in the Field of Environment[23] and honoured with the title of Harithabhimani, the Presidential Lifetime Award for Service to Wildlife Conservation.[24]

In honour of his conservation work, a newly discovered frog species in highlands was named after him as Pseudophilautus jagathgunawardanai or Jagath Gunawardana's shrub frog.[25]

References
  1. "පරිසරවේදී නීතිඥ ජගත් ගුණවර්ධන Archives". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst | Breaking News and Latest News provider | Political | Sports | International | Business. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  2. "Renowned environmentalist Jagath Gunawardana awarded Honorary PhD". Lanka Sara. 2020-11-21. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  3. "Killing of Leopard: A non-bailable offence- Jagath". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  4. "BBC Sinhala - The tree is free : Vandana Shiva". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  5. "Jagath Gunawardana, a life dedicated to protect environment". Sunday Observer. 2020-12-12. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  6. "Environmentalist J. Gunawardana gets Honorary Doctorate". Ground News. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  7. "පරිසරවේදී නීතීඥ ජගත් ගුණවර්ධන ට ආචාර්ය උපාධියක්". NewsWire Sinhala. 2020-11-22. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  8. "නීතිඥ ජගත් ගුණවර්ධන මහතාට ශ්‍රී ජයවර්ධනපුර විශ්ව විද්‍යාලයෙන් ගෞරව ආචාර්ය උපාධියක් - srihanda.lk | Sri Handa News Official Web Site|Sri Lanka News|News Sri Lanka|Online Sinhala News". Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  9. "Glossy Ibis breeds in SL after 148 years". Sunday Observer. 2020-05-29. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  10. "Young Zoologists' Association opposes Fisheries Ministry move: 'Mangrove ecosystems must be protected'". Sunday Observer. 2019-08-31. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  11. Justin, Rose Stephanie (2020-10-02). "Human-Elephant Conflict Soars in Sri Lanka; Green Activists Blame Habitat Loss". Zenger News. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  12. "An Accolade Long Overdue". CeylonToday. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  13. "Sri Lanka : President emphasizes the need to strengthen activities of Environmental Council". www.colombopage.com. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  14. "JAGATH GUNAWARDANA Environment lawyer - PressReader". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  15. "ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ජාතික වනෝද්‍යාන තුළ ගව ගැටලුව විසඳීමට අකුල් හෙළන්නේ කවුද ?". BBC News සිංහල (in Sinhala). 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  16. "How Predator Became Prey". CeylonToday. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  17. "The unseen side of activism". www.themorning.lk. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  18. "The Macro Problems of Microbeads In Sri Lankan Seas". roar.media. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  19. "On The Way Out: Sri Lanka's Ten Critically Endangered Birds". roar.media. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  20. "A Protected Nature Reserve At Risk". roar.media. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  21. "Wildlife Poaching In Sri Lanka: It Is As Ugly As It Sounds". roar.media. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  22. "The 'Roots' Of The Sea: Protecting The Mangroves Of Our Island's Coasts". roar.media. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  23. "Presidential Environment Awards 2016". www.earthlanka.net. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  24. "As birds winter in Sri Lanka, one enthusiast makes sure their memory stays". Mongabay Environmental News. 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  25. Pskhun (2013-03-13). "Species New to Science: [Herpetology • 2013] Eight new species of Pseudophilautus (Anura, Rhacophoridae) from Sripada World Heritage Site (Peak Wilderness), a local amphibian hotspot in Sri Lanka". Species New to Science. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.