Environmental Volunteering in Sri Lanka

Reforestation and tree planting is one of the best ways to give back to nature. When you travel, you contribute to air pollution in a very big way. Emissions from air travel being one of the main contributors of global warming, everyone who travel should find a way to at least compensate for some of the pollution they are responsible for.

This could be done in many ways. Maybe financially helping an environmental initiative, protecting a forest, creating a forest or planting many many trees whenever possible.

Specially when you travel what you might not realize is that you might also be spending your money and time on things that doesn't bring any value to the country you travel. Often in Sri Lanka foreign people run hotels, projects, yoga camps, surf camps and even tours. Russians, Israelis and Chinese among some other foreign people who own most properties in south coast and east coast. Sometimes even the money changers often are foreigners run businesses. Lot of travelling platforms and tour offers to Sri Lanka are processed overseas, money goes to an overseas merchant and it stays overseas. Only third party local operators are involved or subcontracted and eventually they get paid a penny for a tour booking you did for several thousand dollars.

So are some volunteering offers. Sri Lanka has many environmental volunteering opportunities and most starts with like 250 dollars to 500 dollars a week. Some 750 dollars. I have seen some volunteering packages priced at 2500 dollars. All of these are run by foreign operators and yet the facility where you will volunteer is in Sri Lanka. Money goes somewhere else.

Slow responsible travel is one way to go about. Volunteering comes handy in this aspect. Find a worthy cause to be a part of. That is where we come to picture. If you are in Sri Lanka and looking for environmental volunteering there is no better place than Balangoda Reforestation Project. We are creating a forest in a completely decimated 50 acre hill. Its not an easy task. But with lot of hands and help, this is already partly achieved.

Its a local project run by local people from the area and everything you contribute end up in that locality. Not even going out of town. You will also be contributing to local economy, a project you can truly call local. We have local workers who make a living out of the project and thanks to foreign volunteers and local volunteers contributing. From 4 permanent laborers, 1 lady cook, 3 interns and people who provide vegetables and dry rations to the operations are all benefiting out of this project. Not forgetting people we get involve in building and maintenance work, guides and the bread tuk tuk also being a part of the project.

We have so far planted 20,000 saplings from which most are serving and already have created a small forest. Come see it for yourself and volunteer in Sri Lanka.

From only 5 species that are prominant and are fire resistant, we have planted 50 difefrent type of plants in this hill. All that is planted are flowering and fruiting. The ideas is to have enormous amount of food for wildlife, specially moneys that are in conflict with farmers. When all these plants starts fruiting, Monkey no longer needs to vandalize farms. In addition humans can also derive all the benefits from NTFS, non timber forest produce as this is only a forest reserve, enabling them to benefit from forest produce such as Maduka (Mee) Longifolia which will provide them flowers (Honey) and Seed (Oil) as a food source, edible oil and Kithul (fishtail palm) that can provide toddy (Alchohol) treacle (Honey) and jaggery (Sugar) where community can earn a significant amount of money if properly harvested. Fish tail palm being the main delicacy of Elephants, it will also solve the human elephant conflict.

The project also look at addressing the water scarecity. Currently at leats 20 families are dependent on natural water springs located in the forest for their water needs predominantly for farming and also for drinking. However during drougts sometimes water runs almost completely dry. These water are extracted from the forest which is no more than 30 acres. However the mountain works as a perfect catchment and the 30 acre forest can hold just about enough water for these people for a few months after rains. If we can get an additional 50 acre forest planted imagine the amount of water that the hill can hold in addition to the 30 acre forest that is already there. Both the flow rate and the length of duration of water availability will be high. Who knows we might have new springs appearing as a result too.

We have natural organic living space with mostly vegetarian diet and nature around you all the time. You only hear the nature and no noise and no pollution. T0 make it better we serve you delicious local meals cooked by a village lady who makes a living by serving food. That means you are also helping locals.

You will plant trees, remove invasives and nurture the plant nursery of 3000 plants. In the free times and days, you get to experience local rivers, river baths, waterfalls and waterfall hikes. Additionally beautiful temples and sunsets from hills. If you are interested safari in Udawalawe national park is also not too far away. Its the best safari park to see elephants.

All these can be experienced only at our place. The best place for Eco and Environmental volunteering in Sri Lanka. Come and see for yourself. You will love and and surely it would be your best memory in Sri Lanka !