Addressing Conservation Challenges through Female Entrepreneurship: A paradigm shift

Nursery managers, LEF and WNPS PLANT team at the project launch event

WNPS PLANT, Otter Fonds from Netherland and the Lanka Environmental Fund joined hands to empower Female Entrepreneurs to commence their own forest plant nurseries through a powerful groundbreaking initiative recently. The final awarding and agreement signing was held with the female recipients and the WNPS and PLANT teams, along with the donor representatives, on the 23d of October 2025 at the WNPS head office. The WNPS once again pioneered a fresh thought process by making major infusions into Community aspects and entrepreneurship as a bridge for its conservation endeavours.

With a vision to develop forest corridors and unify fragmented forests through private sector engagement, the WNPS (www.wnpssl.org ) set up Preserving Land and Nature (Guarantee) Ltd, (PLANT) a few years ago (www.plantsl.org). The initiative gained rapid momentum thanks to a very focused approach, multiple partner engagements, and a passionate team, but soon hit a massive roadblock. The long forest corridors being created in the hills needed way more montane plants than were readily available. Species are carefully selected by the teams and with no precedent of large-scale reforesting in the hills, the existing few nurseries were unable to cater to the demands. The slow growth rate of montane plants provided yet another challenge. The leadership went for a bold plan for which it sought willing donors.

The idea was multi-dimensional: seek out female talent who would be passionate about conservation, fund them at the start up stages, train them extensively in forest nursery management and entrepreneurship to make them best in class, make it an exclusive female-led initiative, part subsidize their capital costs so that the returns would be faster and provide a safety net by purchasing the output. The projects will accelerate the creation of several successful and profitable ventures which would not just address the conservation challenge at hand but also bring social stability and a financial infusion into multiple families within rural society.

Otter Fonds and the Lank Environmental Fund, both lent tremendous support towards this vision and willingly agreed to fund three and two entrepreneurs respectively. A wide-ranging search, a robust application process, multiple days of visiting prospects by the PLANT team, meticulous marking and a rigorous final interview step, resulted in the ultimate choices. WNPS President Graham Marshall reflecting on the initiative stated that “This project by WNPS PLANT resonates with what the WNPS as a Society would want to achieve as outcomes of conservation initiatives. Livelihood enhancement is critical in any conservation effort. This project is special because it is about empowerment, creating leaders, and independence of women in conservation”.

The personal stories the ladies are inspirational. Ms. A.G.Anoja from Ginigathhena, in the Nuwara Eliya District is a housewife and motivated community member with a strong interest in home gardening and native plant restoration. At 63, she brings both life experience and genuine enthusiasm to the role of nursery manager. Her determination stemmed from a comment made by her son, where he was encouraging her to “try and earn her own income”. She says she became determined to carve out a path towards financial independence and self-employment.

The selected nursery managers Samindhika, Chandanie Devi, Anoja Kumari, A.G. Anoja and Rasika

Ms. M.G.K. Chandanie Devi, a 60-year-old resident of Divitotawela near Welimada, had her husband passing away a few years ago. Hers had been a challenging journey of dependency, living with her daughter and grandchild whom she supports and cares for, while her son-in-law acted as the single income earner. Her extended family is deeply engaged in plant propagation activities, and she mentioned that “a stable income will uplift her entire family circle and give her confidence and positivity for the future”.

Ms. M.G.K. Samandhika, a 55-year-old resident hailing from Diganatenna near Bandarawela, brings hands-on experience to native plant restoration. Already involved in agriculture and nursery work from her home garden, she is well-positioned to take on a leadership role in managing the nursery and has an extended family who are in this field. Her husband is paralyzed, and they have three children. Her youngest is in Year Nine, and this initiative provides financial stability and releases her from having to keep searching daily for some gainful labour intensive work to keep the home fires burning.

Ms. Anoja Kumari, a resident of Marakkayakumbura, Hapugastalawa, near Nawalapitiya, is an experienced community member with a strong interest in cultivation and native plant restoration. She brings valuable agricultural knowledge and practical skills. Her husband is actively engaged in vegetable farming, and she has three children with the youngest son in Year Eight. She has worked as the treasurer of village societies, highlighting her organizational and financial management skills.

Ms. R.M. Rasika Priyanthi, a 44-year-old resident of Pebotuwa, in the Ratnapura District, is an experienced nursery grower with a strong grounding in both fruit tree propagation and native plant restoration. She is confident of using digital tools to coordinate activities. The family’s longstanding involvement in plant propagation has cultivated strong practical expertise. The low price and small margins on some of the fruit and other trees they sell would often mean a very limited annual income stream, resulting in little upward momentum for the family. This will now be a new lifeline for her.

Amy McCulla, Grants Manager of Otter Fonds from Netherlands (www.otterfonds.com), was very positive about this initiative. “The Otter Fonds is proud to collaborate with PLANT on this innovative project to empower local women to become entrepreneurs and start their own nurseries. PLANT will teach these women how to start and run their own businesses, leading to increased income in the community. These nurseries will provide the montane plants that are necessary for PLANT to continue to create connected corridors of protected forest ecosystems within the southwestern quarter of Sri Lanka. The Otter Fonds looks forward to watching these nurseries, and these recipients, develop and thrive”, she said.

“We are extremely excited to support this landmark initiative by WNPS PLANT, which we know will signal a shift in how restoration is carried out on our island. Although there is an appetite for reforestation, there is a dearth of endemic and native species saplings available to supply this demand. Our hope is that these female-led native species nurseries can fill that void, while also supporting local female entrepreneurs and enriching local communities. The Lanka Environment Fund (LEF) believes in investing in long-term holistic projects, such as this, that will serve as a catalyst within this conservation niche” said Vinod Malwatte, Director of Lanka Environmental Fund in support of the project ( www.lankaenvironmentfund.org )

PLANT wishes to make the community bigger stakeholders, which is crucial since some areas of restoration are in very close proximity to populated areas, and plant damage is often caused by human intervention. WNPS felt that women would be better custodians of this with the opportunity to create home-based employment, create economic empowerment and uplift their social standards since the trickle down effect of income to the family is far better in the case of women.

The recipients now head into the intense residential training phases with different experts who will guide them along the path ahead. The initiative is already proving to be far more than a conservation step, and becoming a beacon of Hope, Dignity and Economic empowerment. These women may very well be the torchbearers for a new breed of conservationists from among those who live in the frontlines of our last remnant forests. The strength of WNPS and the vision of PLANT, along with Otter Fonds and the Lanka Environment Fund will certainly be their foundation for growth.

This article first appeared in The Sunday Island on the 11th of November 2025.