About Us
The EFL story – celebrating 30 years of environmental conservation and justice!
Environmental Foundation Limited was established in 1981 fulfilling a long felt need for an organisation to safeguard Sri Lanka’s environment. The idea was conceived by the group of friends, who included four law students, a budding zoologist, an anthropologist, an accountancy student, a mathematician in the making and a stage and screen actress, who banded together to protest against the misuse and abuse of Sri Lanka’s natural resources and to spearhead a campaign to protect them through litigation. On August 3, 1981, EFL was incorporated under the Companies Act as a ‘not for profit’ company limited by guarantee with a share capital, in order that it may have a legal standing before the Courts of Law in Sri Lanka. On May 6, 1994, EFL was registered in Sri Lanka as a Non Governmental Organisation under the Department of Social Services.
After seven years of volunteer work, during which time EFL operated from the garage of one of its founder members, EFL received its first grant from the Environment Liaison Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. A grant from the Asia Foundation in July 1988 enabled EFL to hire the services of a part time Administrator/ Comptroller, who served the organisation until March 2006. In 1989, EFL became a member of the International Union for the Conservation Nature – IUCN, an important membership held up-to-date.
In 1984, EFL filed its first legal case in the Supreme Court against the Director General of Wildlife in the Gal Oya National Park encroachment case. This was followed by more than two hundred cases filed over the years with significant victories as the Eppawala Phosphate Case, the Kandalama Hotel Case and Galle Face Green Case. A case on addressing Air pollution is ongoing and has led to the establishment of mandatory vehicle emission testing and a new traffic plan to ease congestion in Colombo. Our cases on protected areas and their conservation include the ongoing case on the Construction of roads within the Wilpattu National Park, the Hakgala SNR case, on the protection of watershed forests to mitigate threats of climate change and an impending water crisis and addressing climate change. A case on the protection of important wetland ecosystems by halting the filling of Muthurajawela, ultimately resulted in the establishment of a National Wetlands Policy. EFL is also an intervenient party in the Maha Oya Sand Mining Case and in the Noise Pollution case, active in the Supreme Court at present.
In 1998, the Environmental Mediation Centre, the first of its kind in the country, commenced work with the support of the Asia Foundation, assisting dispute resolution thorough mediation. To date, the Science, Legal and Information Divisions, assisted by the Accounts and Administrative Divisions have supported many individuals and organisations alike to fight environmental degradation and protect and conserve Sri Lanka’s precious resources.
An organisation that started small with only a few volunteers armed with nothing but motivation, dedication and determination, has today grown into an organisation that has not only managed to protect and conserve the environment through legal and scientific means, but has most importantly managed to influence policy making and foster good governance in the country. From the time of its inception, EFL has been actively involved in protecting and conserving the environment and many individuals have given their valuable time and expertise to the organisation freely.
At EFL has persevered, and stayed on course, winning both bouquets and brickbats for its work in environmental conservation. Today it has become the most important local environmental organisation that has not only litigated successfully but also lobbied for policy changes in environmental matters. EFL reiterates the need to protect and conserve the environment and wants You to become a ‘catalyst for change’ in environmental matters.
This year, EFL celebrates the completion of 30 years of service to the people of Sri Lanka.
