Jayantha Jayewardene He Fought for Nature, and Won

From Rugby Fields to Forest Trails: Documenting Jayewardene’s Fascinating Journey 

VISIONARY CONSERVATIONIST, FORMER MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE MAHAWELI ECONOMIC AGENCY, FOUNDER OF THE BIODIVERSITY AND ELEPHANT CONSERVATION TRUST. A LIFE DEVOTED TO SRI LANKA’S WILDLIFE

Before public service, Jayantha worked 18 years as a tea plantation superintendent, gaining invaluable hands-on experience in land and resource management. He also served as a national coach, rugby selector, and held key roles in the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union

Sri Lanka has lost one of its most dedicated and fearless conservationists. Jayantha Jayewardene, a towering figure in the fight to protect the island’s wildlife — especially its elephants — passed away recently, leaving behind a legacy rooted in science, advocacy, and unwavering integrity.

Best known as the Founder and Managing Trustee of the Biodiversity and Elephant Conservation Trust (BECT), Jayewardene was a national leader in efforts to promote human–elephant coexistence. Through BECT, he led school awareness programmes across over 2,000 rural schools, fostering a new generation of conservation-minded youth. His leadership transformed public understanding of elephants — not as threats, but as beings to be respected, protected, and coexisted with.

A Trinity Lion and former rugby captain, Jayewardene was renowned for his strength as a lock forward for both Trinity College and Kandy SC. He went on to serve 20 years with the Mahaweli Development Project, rising from Resident Project Manager to Managing Director. In this role, he played a central part in one of Sri Lanka’s most transformative post-independence initiatives — the Mahaweli Development Programme. There, he championed environmentally responsible planning, advocating for the protection of wildlife corridors and buffer zones amid widespread agricultural and infrastructural expansion.

Before entering public service, he served as a tea plantation superintendent for 18 years, gaining invaluable onground experience in land and resource management. He was also a national rugby selector, coach, and held key positions in the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union. In recognition of his scientific contributions, he was awarded a Presidential Award for Excellence in Scientific Research and went on to become internationally respected as a leading voice in wildlife conservation.

Later, as an Advisor to the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Jayewardene helped shape elephant management strategies, promote ethical wildlife tourism, and design longterm conservation policies rooted in science and sustainability. His counsel influenced the development of protected areas, strengthened legal protections for wildlife, and emphasised humane, non-lethal methods to address human– elephant conflict.

He was a respected member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AESG) of the IUCN, where he contributed scholarly articles and editorial commentary to the widely read Gajah journal. His published work includes the landmark “Elephant Conservation Amidst Development” series in Tigerpaper (1984–1994), and books such as The Elephant in Sri Lanka and Srilankawe Ali Athun, which continue to shape conservation discourse to this day.

In 2015, he also served as Chairman of the Coconut Research Institute (CRI), where he brought the same disciplined and principled approach to agricultural research and governance. His leadership at CRI focused on enhancing scientific output, sustainability practices, and institutional accountability — all aligned with his lifelong commitment to balancing development with environmental stewardship.

Throughout his career, Jayewardene was known for his systematic management style, principled leadership, and fearless integrity. He never shied away from confronting difficult truths — whether it was criticising the exploitation of captive elephants, exposing policy failures, or challenging corruption in wildlife enforcement. His voice remained steady and courageous, rooted in science and justice.

As Sri Lanka faces mounting environmental challenges, his passing is an irreplaceable loss. Yet his vision endures — in the forests he fought to preserve, in the elephants still roaming wild, and in every child who learned to see nature not as an obstacle, but as a shared heritage.

Jayantha Jayewardene’s life was a masterclass in public service, compassion, and unwavering dedication to the natural world.

May his memory inspire future generations to defend what he so passionately protected.

This tribute was prepared by Dilum Alagiyawanna in honour of Jayewardene’s extraordinary service to Sri Lanka and its wildlife.