As we head to towards the end of the year it seems overseas holiday travel will be severely curtailed due to the current Covid-19 situation. Countries that have opened their borders have placed various restrictions that includes mandatory Covid-19 testing and quarantining. Some countries have had to prolong the opening of their borders due to increasing Covid-19 cases. Airline travel is also very uncertain during these times. Airlines are frequently changing their schedules or cancelling flights at the last moment making it extremely risky to venture overseas. And there is the added risk of countries closing their borders suddenly due to surges in Covid-19 cases. Overall, it seems the safest and wisest course would be to stay at home and find other ways to stay involved and be active. The e-Volunteering Program of the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society is one way that you could stay involved and active while at the same time learning about and contributing to issues you are passionate about.

The SLWCS e-Volunteering program is an initiative that was launched to fulfill several objectives. One is to raise funds during these very difficult times to continue to our research, conservation and community activities, the second is to provide opportunity for people to get involved in activities to address environmental issues and concerns that they are passionate about such as wildlife research, conservation and community programs, and the third is to ensure the wildlife and their habitats in our project sites continue to be safe.

The e-Volunteering programs are directly integrated with our ongoing field research, wildlife conservation and community programs and provides the perfect outlet for you to pursue your interests and passions during these difficult times. The program curriculums have been developed to provide an exciting, enriching and interactive experience on wildlife, field research and how field research helps to address specific conservation objectives. E-Volunteers will receive a certificate from the SLWCS confirming their participation and completion of the program.

Introduction to Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus)

The program introduces as well provides e-Volunteers with a broad understanding about Asian elephants, their ecology, their role in culture and the need for their conservation. e-Volunteers will learn and improve their knowledge about Asian elephants as well as continue to participate and contribute to elephant research and conservation efforts.

Camera Trapping to Monitor Biodiversity

The program educates e-Volunteers about the importance of monitoring biodiversity and how remote camera traps can be used for that purpose. E-Volunteers will learn techniques that scientists use to monitor biodiversity, since camera trapping is an interesting research tool with a “wow” factor, this will easily inspire e-Volunteers to develop an interest in biodiversity conservation. E-volunteers will learn how to set up a remote camera in their own backyard to learn interesting behavioral facts about common backyard animals that we pay scant attention to.

Individual Identification of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus)

The identification of individual elephants is one of the first steps in studying elephant behaviour, demography, and conservation. Very few studies of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are based on individual identification hence the importance of our project and this program. By studying individually identified elephants, helps us to understand how social behaviour drives movements, reproductive output, determines population dynamics and ensures long lasting social bonds. e-Volunteers learn in detail the traits that can be used to identify individual elephants, and examine the variability of different traits. Most importantly e-Volunteers will learn how by identifying elephants, we can understand their population dynamics, factors influencing elephant movements and even monitor their health. All of this information is crucial for their long term conservation.