NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT POLICY
The launch of the book “Natural Resources and Environment Management Policy: Sri Lanka Experience and Future Directions” compiled by Nanda Abeywickrama will be held on Tuesday, November 13 at the Rajagiriya Central Bank Centre at 3.30 p.m. The book contains 12 papers presented in the 1980s and 90s around the theme “Managing Natural Resources to meet the needs of the Poor”
The book presented in two parts, will be reviewed by Dr. Madar Samad and Dr. Ramani Ellepola at the event. Deshamanya Tissa Devendra, Emeritus Prof. Roberto Lenton, Prof. Mohan Munasinghe and Dr. Hilmy Sally are also slated to speak on timely topics of discussion at the launch.
Nanda Abeywickrama started his public service career as a District Land Officer. As an SLAS Officer he held progressively responsible positions at District and Ministry levels. As the first Chairman of the Agricultural Insurance Board, Abeywickrama introduced an islandwide agricultural insurance scheme in the mid 1970s.
Following post-graduate studies at FAO Rome and Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, Abeywickrama was appointed Secretary to the Ministry of Lands and Land Development as well as Adviser to the Mahaweli Development Board in 1978. Over a period of 10
Over a period of 10 years he teamed up with Minister Gamini Dissanayake in ushering major reforms for an integrated approach to land irrigation and forest management
years he teamed up with Minister Gamini Dissanayake in ushering major reforms for an integrated approach to land irrigation and forest management and was instrumental in founding the International Irrigation Management Institute (IIMI) Headquarters in Sri Lanka in 1985 and the IUCN Regional Office in 1988. Concurrently he served as an international expert in land settlement for UNFAO.
In 1988 he joined IIMI as its Director International Co-operation and later as Senior Adviser to the Director General until 2013. Concurrently from 1998 he served as Member of the South Asia Technical Advisory Committee (SASTAC) of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and later as its Regional Chair. Currently Abeywickrama is the Chairman of IDEAS Pvt. Ltd a not-for-profit company. Having been a member of the chorus in the original 1956 production of Maname at Peradeniya University, Nanda Abeywickrama continues his interest in theatre, music and arts and travels widely.