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OUR VISION

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OUR STRATEGY

1. Protect forests under threat

  • Monitor high biodiversity areas at risk of deforestation

  • Proactively engage with landowners and community to design optimum conservation solution

  • Build alliance with likeminded initiatives to generate additional financial incentives for preventing deforestation

2. Plant and rewild degrading land

  • Identify opportunities to regenerate degraded areas

  • Work with partners to develop planting programmes for forest restoration

  • Train local teams to enable project handover for community management

3. Advocate for the value of forests

  • Deliver educational programmes about the environmental and wellbeing benefits of trees and forests

  • Encourage a feeling of connectedness with and stewardship of forests in stakeholders from near and afar

OUR PRINCIPLES

  1. Place community engagement at the heart of all our projects;

  2. Promote human-animal cohabitation opportunities;

  3. Use the best available research to inform decision-making;

  4. Act with pace to address conservation issues;

  5. Invest funding carefully for maximum impact;

  6. Design for the long-term viability and sustainability of the projects;

  7. Prioritise conservation solutions with existing landowners and communities, purchasing land on behalf of the Foundation as a last resort;

  8. Challenge ourselves to innovate and think differently to develop creative conservation solutions;

  9. Hold ourselves to account and continuously review our approaches to ensure we always meet the highest standards.

PROGRESS SO FAR

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3ha

restored

of degraded high biodiversity value forest

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550

trees planted

primarily species endemic to Sri Lanka

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70%

survival rate

through effective sapling care by our team

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$4K

donations

to the Forest Healing Foundation in 2019

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30+

local families

supported by community shop initiative

OUR HISTORY

2017

2ha of degraded forest is purchased for restoration, called the Bululand project, and planting begins

2019

Forest Healing Foundation established as a registered non-profit organisation in Sri Lanka

2020

Urgent need identified to protect adjacent forest and fundraising/awareness raising campaign launched

2010

Tree planting program initiated in Polwaththa 

2018

Bululand project continues and species growth is carefully monitored

2019

Community shop and yoga retreats set up to help fund ongoing forest regeneration work in Bululand

OUR FOUNDERS

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Henk Kieft

Co-founder

Henk is a technical expert in sustainable agriculture and rural development with a special focus on soil and water conservation

Nihal Ellegala

Co-founder

Nihal is an experienced sustainable tourism specialist with a passion for conservation and community development

OUR BOARD

The Forest Healing Foundation is governed by a Board who’s members also include key figures in the local community, such as the village officer Grama Niladhari and the local Buddhist priest.

The team are also supported by an advisory group of professionals in the fields of agronomy, forestry and project management.

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