Regenerating fragile ecosystems
Supporting science-based environmental conservation and restoration efforts.
RETRACE x PLANT
RETRACE™ Hospitality has contributed towards the procurement of multiple camera traps to enhance science-based conservation and ecosystem restoration efforts near the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary within the Ratnapura District of Sri Lanka, through the work being done there by the Preserving Land and Nature Trust (PLANT). PLANT is the land trust of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka (WNPS). PLANT’s acquisitions in this region have been funded and are supported by the Rainforest Trust and Quick Response Fund for Nature, two respected organisations actively regenerating forests globally. The camera traps successfully captured vulnerable and threatened species on the protected land over a period of several months. RETRACE Hospitality has continued its contributions towards this initiative, from 2022 into 2024.
Sri Lanka boasts dozens of endemic flora and fauna species and a diverse array of ecosystems. Camera traps will help assess and determine species presence, population, and interaction in a specific area. The Ratnapura District, in the island’s Southwest, is among the most biodiverse in Sri Lanka. PLANT is Sri Lanka’s largest private land trust, pioneering a new model for donor-funded conservation and ecosystem restoration through land acquisitions near the island’s most vulnerable ecosystems. Since its inception in 2020, PLANT has acquired and/or manages the conservation and restoration of over 200 acres of threatened ecosystems across the island. Private land ownership is key to safeguarding the future of Sri Lanka’s biodiversity, as most of Sri Lanka’s land is government-owned. As a Sri Lankan-led initiative, PLANT was conceptualised by Sri Lanka’s oldest non-profit environmental organisation, the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS), founded over 125 years ago.
PLANT’s leadership team includes globally renowned environmentalists, scientists, business leaders and lawyers active in environmental lobbying and legislation. Donors include private individuals, family trusts, entrepreneurs, corporates, and collective entities from Sri Lanka and across the globe. Please visit the PLANT and Wildlife and Nature Protection Society Sri Lanka websites for more information.