The Island: ‘Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet’-4/6/2021

The Center for Environmental and Democratic Rights own Mari Margil participated in the most recent World Wildlife Day events hosted by the America-Sri Lanka Photographic Art Society Los Angeles (ASPAS) hosted from Los Angeles, USA. This phenomenal webinar was the focus of an article on The Island called ‘Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet’. This celebration focused on forests, forest species, and ecosystems, particularly highlighting those that belong to Sri Lanka.

We live in a time of tremendous human-animal conflict, like climate change, deforestation, and wildfires which have affected our natural world. World Wildlife Day allows us the time to refocus on the natural beauty around us. Dr. Peter H. Sand and Rukshan Jayewardene also participated in this panel and presentation of Sri Lankan wildlife photography.

Mari Margil spoke on the rights of nature, the laws that drive the movement, and the effects of exploitation. In the article, she shares that, “people, governments, and even courts around the world are recognizing that “business as usual” cannot get us to a place of true sustainability and environmental protection. Instead, there is a growing understanding that we need to make a fundamental shift in how humanity governs itself toward the natural world” (Jasentuliyana, 2021). This realization leads to the natural conclusion that nature itself is deserving of bearing its own independent and inherent rights that deserve protection beyond memorialization, but instead permanence.