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Restricted UN DP/SR U79/046 Terminal Report SRI LANKA

Programme for Public Awareness of Environmental Protection and Management

Project Findings and Recommendations

Serial No.: FMWED/STE387/275(UNDP)

United Nations Development Programme

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cu Itu ral Organization

Paris, 1987

S R I L A N K A

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PROGRAMME FOR PUBLIC AWARENESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT

Project Findings and Recommendations

Report prepared for the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka by the United Nations Educational, ' Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) acting as Executing Agency for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

United Nations Development Programme

UNDP/SRL/79/046 Terminal Report FMR/ED/STE/87/275 (UNDP ) 31 October 1987

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@ Unesco 1987 Printed in France

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION

Background and justification

Development objective

Immediate objectives

11. ACTIVITIES AND OUTPUTS

111. CONCLUSIONS

APPENDICES

A - Consultants

B - National Staff

C - List of Study Tours awarded

D - Publication and Viedo Film teams

E - List of equirnent purchased under the Unesco/UNDP/CEA project on public awareness

PAGES

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SRL/79/046 - Programme for Public Awareness of Environmental Protection and Manag emen t

Terminal Report

I. INTRODUCTION

1. prepared in 1982 by the Sri Lanka Central Environmental Authority (CEA), which regarded environmental awareness as one of three priority areas among eight future lines of action. The project proposal for a progamme lasting one year and six months was duly submitted to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for approval in May 1982 and was signed by the CEA, as the Implementing Agency for the Sri Lanka Government on 22 July 1983 and by Unesco, as the Executing Agency, and UNDP on 22 August 1983. At a later stage, upon the recommendation of the' two consultants, it was decided that the project should be substantially revised and extended to 1985 without extra cost. This revision (D) was signed by the CEA on 2 November 1984 and by Unesco and UNDP on 10 January 1985.

The programme was basically a component part of the five-year strategy

2. The Government provided the premises to house the project, including furniture and office equipment, and covered related miscellaneous expenses (local travel and running expenses). It also recruited the national staff and covered their salaries and allowances.

3. Unesco and UNDP provided the services of the international consultants, organized the study tours and testing and training activities including the National Seminar. It supplied equipment including audio-visual materials and ensured the successful implementation of the Communication Package.

Backnround and justification

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4. Since environment is a matter that involves us all, the project should be understood as an effort made by the Government of Sri Lanka to support the General Assembly's emphasis on environmental protection and management.

5. No amount of environmental legislation, policy formulation or imaginative schemes can succeed, however, without active participation and support at all levels of implementation of designed activities through public co-operation and assistance.

6. The CEsl was established to formulate policies and co-ordinate ministries, departments and authorities in government whose activities in one way or'another would determine the shape of Sri Lanka's environment in the future. Specific responsibilities of the Authority as defined in the National Environment Act are as follows :

(a) To recommend to the Government, national environmental policy and criteria for the protection and management of the environment.

(b) To undertake surveys and investigations as to the causes, nature, extent and prevention of pollution and to assist and co-operate with others in carrying out similar surveys or investigations.

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(c) To conduct, provide and co-ordinate research in relation to any aspect of environmental degradation.

(d) To specify standards, norms and criteria for the protection of beneficial uses and for maintaining the quality of the environment .

(e) To publish reports and information with respect to any aspect of environmental protection and management.

(f) To provide information and education to the public regarding protection and improvement of the environment.

(8) To establish liaison with other countries and international organizations with respect to environmental protection and management.

7. Sir Lanka, in fact, has two major advantages over many developing countries for achieving success in a public awareness programme :-

(i) the population is highly literate. The report of the Central Bank of Ceylon on Economic and Social Statistics, 1980, indicates a literacy rate of 79 per cent, and a primary school enrolment ratio of 80 per cent;

(ii) institutions of many types for disseminating information exist: they are widespread, organized and influential. Examples are : the extension centres, agrarian services, educational training centres, non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

8. The project included a sub-contract with the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) , whereby that body would introduce the use of tested training curricula and media materials within the f ive-year strategy. In particular, the SLIDA was required to :-

(i) develop training curricula following guidelines prepared to CEA external advisers and adapt them to national conditions and specific environmental problem areas identified by the CEA;

(ii) conduct a two-week training course for ten people selected by the CEA to test the curricula developed and modify the courses as appropriate, depending on results;

(iii) supervise the field-testing of environmental awareness training materials designed by the CEA and used during the course;

(iv) provide the CEA with ten copies of the final revised curricula and an appropriate number of the tested and revised public awareness training materials in the three official languages;

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(v) on the basis of guidelines provided by the CEA, pursue the five- year strategy for using the tested training curricula and

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(vi)

environmental.awareness materials with District Environmental Agencies (DEAs), schools and local-level training centres, agrarian services, educational training centres and NGOs;

prepare a position paper for the National Seminar on the activities carried out.

9. However, it soon became clear that there was a total lack of physical communication machinery in this field and therefore that the preparation and production of relevant media material was an urgent necessity. The information received in response to the CEA questionnaire prepared by the consultants for the DEAs further revealed the need for a multi-media approach that,would combine a global inpact with conceptual learning.

10. The sub-contract was therefore replaced by a properly designed Communication Package to produce environmental publications for schools, posters, a series of slides and video films. The CEA was made solely responsible for the pursuit of the project.

Development ob j ec.tive

11. The long-term goal of the Government of Sri Lanka was to promote harmonious economic development while protecting and managing the environment.

Immediate objectives

12. The immediate objectives were to provide a foundation on which the public might be sensitised to the importance of environmental protection and management in achieving the national objective of economic growth - to improve the capability of the Central Environmental Authority to pursue a programme of public awareness for environmental protection and management.

11. ACTIVITIES AND OUTPUTS

13. Committee to formulate policies and co-ordinate ministries, government departments and authorities whose activities in one way or another would determine the shape of Sri Lanka's environment in the future.

The first activity of the project was the establishemant of the Steering

. (i) The Committee was composed of representatives from the Ministries of Education, State, Local Government, Housing and Construction,

' Lands and Land Development, Health, Fisheries and Power and Energy, the Unesco Commission and UNDP.

(ii) At the first meeting, representatives from the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Research, the Plantation Industry, the Janatha Estates Development and State Plantations were coopted as members on account of their relevance to Sri Lanka's environmental programmes.

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&ii> It was also decided that the Gramodaya Mandalayas (village-level local administrations) should be involved in the awareness programme.

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14. The task of the Steering Committee was to guide the overall implementation of the project and to monitor its progress. As its members represented different agencies, it was hoped that a wide range of knowledge and experience would be provided from the many sectors involved in environmental protection and management. It was expected that the Committee would provide sectoral knowledge and experience on approaches for contacting the public, serve as a focal point for liaison with other officials within their respective ministries, agencies or organizations and open channels to assist the CEA in disseminating information.

15. - In particular, the Committee was to :-

- guide the CEA staff in identifying and presenting district-based environmental management problems or other appropriate environmental conditions specific to a region, watershed or site, etc.;

- identify environmental awareness activities currently underway and evaluate their effectiveness for use by the project;

- identify resources and institutions. Committee members were expected to help the CEA to obtain information from their own organizations on available resources and persons who might be of assistance to the project.

The Steering Committee was to review and comment on the results of the external advisers' work. these tasks.

Five Committee meetings were held with a view to carrying out

16. The project included three study tours in the Asian Pacific region in order to obtain possible information on environmental awareness activities underway in southern Asian countries. would also provide an opportunity to gain experience of working with international counterparts, making contacts for further information and exchange, broadening perception of environmental management and protection and building confidence based on wider knowledge. The countries visited were Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia .

It was expected that the study tours

17. Three environmental promotion officers benefited from the study tours which were undertaken in January and February 1984. the Philippines and Singapore, while the third toured the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia. All three officers spent one week in each country. were organized by the CFA with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Missions and Environmental Agencies in the countries concerned.

Two officers toured Malaysia,

The tours z

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. 18. This venture proved very valuable as a means of collecting data on

The officers were able to interview those responsible for the successful techniques that might be adopted to improve the public awareness programme. planning, development, implementation and promotion of programmes for environmental management and protection and to collect details of the programmes for purposes of comparison.

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19. Information on institutional structures, the success and failure of programmes, implementation strategies and so on was likewise amassed together with all available literature on the subject.

20. Under the project revision (D) two study tours were made available for senior management officials of the CEA, who required experience in designing a media package on environment, preparing training curricula, etc.. These tours were undertaken by two CEA directors who visited Japan, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia.

21. In order to help the CEA to evolve a useful and practical programme, a questionnaire, compiled by the consultants, was sent to all 25 districts to obtain basic information on local environmental problems, the situation as compared with five years ago and the resources available to undertaken an awareness campaign.

22. The questionnaire was addressed to the DEAs, the sub-national administra- tive units which regularly implement CEA activities and was field-tested in three districts. It was also reviewed by over 20 persons who were knowledgeable in environmental matters so that a viable plan might be drawn up.

23. Although all 25 districts were approached only 18 responded. On the basis ot the findings of the survey, deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution, problems of solid waste management and industrial pollution were selected as priority areas for media concentration. It was essential that small tea plantation holders with lands in the hill country where most of the rivers rise, be educated and given financial support to offset the dangers of widespread water pollution. Another danger was the erosion of upland areas due to the need for firewood, which in turn could lead to erosion and the silting of downstream channels and reservoirs, causing floods, poor water quality, loss of fishing grounds and depreciation of the aesthetic value of lakes in tourist areas.

24. as well as the media package design required for the project revision (D).

25. Most of the UNDP equipment, including audio-visual materials, was received during this period. The fact that it was procured locally greatly facilitated immediate delivery and use. This meant that the public awareness campaign could be initiated through the mass media: radio, television, newspapers.

26. the theme: "The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Environmental Protection and Management". It was attended by 37 delegates at the national and local level; use , health, population growth, human settlements, wildlife, industrialization, coastal zone management and mass media.

Before ending their mission the consultants completed a curriculum plan

A training seminar was organized for the NGOs from 12-16 November 1984 on

The specific topics discussed included forestry, water resources, land

27. for media staff working on the environmental programme.

A media cell on Environment and Development was formed after the seminar

28. 1nformation.leaflets were prepared and published on three topics: Trees, Water and Pesticides, and radio talks were organized on a regular basis. These subjects were selected in line with DEA responses to the questionnaire.

29. DEAs, members of the recently formed Environmental Congress and NGOs in general.

30. The National Seminar envisaged in the project document was held from 10 to 15 March 1985 for purposes of extending knowledge and awareness among key officials of the DEAs, who made up the local operating aim of the CEA, or rather developed and implemented government strategies for the protection and management of the environment in Sri Lanka.

The CEA also issued a monthly newsletter, which was circulated to libraries,

31. and combined a variety of training methodologies ranging from lectures, panel discussions and group work to slide presentation and film shows. The leading topics were Conservation and Management of Forests, Use and Abuse of Water, Urbanization and Industrial Development, Environmental Pollution, Environment and Development, Formal Environmental Education. The subjects chosen for group discussions covered the implementation of an environmental management plan and district-level and community participation in solving general problems and also the extension of environmental awareness at every local level.

The National Seminar reflected the priorities revealed by the questionnaire

'32. A plan of action for environmental protection andmanagement was adopted by the participants. by members of other related bodies concerned with Mandalaya education, small industries, agrarian services, textile industries, rural development and fisheries, as well as the Gramodaya Mandayayas, the Pradeshiya Mandalayas and the NGOs. Media experts also-attended.

All 25 districts were represented, by DEA officials and

33. Curriculum Development Centre and the Ministry of Education, the CEA prepared two publications to highlight identified environmental issues. The publications concentrate on the subject of deforestation and aim at creating an awareness of this problem, especially among school children of the 12 to 14 age group.

As part of the Comunication Package and with the assistance of the

34- The officers nominated by the Ministry of Education and the CEA project staff have since been engaged in the preparation of supplementary materials on environmental education.

35.. were printed in 25,000 copies and the "Teachers' Guide" in 10,000 copies. will be distributed throughout the island so that the Teachers' Guide, in particular, may prove useful to students as well as to teaching staff in field environmental activities. Both publications were presented to His Excellency, the President of Sri Lanka, and to the Prime Minister and all Cabinet Ministers.

Each of the readers, "Surakiya Ybthu Wana Sampatha" and "Wanaye Asiriya" They

36. The media package likewise contemplated a poster competition and a selection of three winning designs for printing. The CEA duly launched the compet.ition with a view to stimulating awareness of environmental issues so that it would coincide with World Environment Day, 5 June 1985. Finally, five posters were selected, not three, and each was printed in 10,000 copies. Five thousand copies were printed in the Tamil medium.

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37. The posters were distributed to all the schools and to government agents, ass.istant government agents, assistant commissioners for local government, urban councils, municipal councils, Pradeshiya Mandalayas, Gramodaya Mandalayas, district development councils, Grawaseva officers and special services officers in order to ensure the success of the awareness campaign.

38. agents, assistant government agents, assistant commissioners of local government, all the departments and authorities under the Ministry of Local Government, Housing and Construction, non-governmental organizations, universities and other institutions to meet the project objectives.

In addition, 1,000 posters were mounted and distributed to government

39. The preparation of the series of slides began in August 1985 with the approval and local purchase of a camera. About 200 slides were ready the same year and more were to be mounted and classified according to theme.

40. video film was completed in March 1986. The production team was composed of an officer from the Curriculum Development Centre of the Ministry of Education and the CEA project staff .

The work envisaged under the project in respect of the preparation of a

41. commissioned, only one text was deemed satisfactory. Water Pollution and the team worked with a video crew from the Ministry of Local Government, Housing and Construction.

Although several script-writers from the Curriculum Development Centre were The subject chosen was

42. Network and showings at small gatherings such as meetings and seminars and in the schools to create environmental awareness among the general public as well as the students.

The plans for screening included distribution by the National Television

43. The writers of the educational publications and the script-writers, who belonged to the Curriculum Development Centre of the Ministry of Education, and the members of the video crew from the Urban Development Authority and the Ministry of Local Government, Housing and Construction worked as part-time officers . 111. CONCLUSIONS

44. strengthened and improved as the organization was able to work in closer co-operation with the District Environmental Agencies, which ensured a direct link with those in charge at the local level and those responsible for conducting information campaigns in the villages.

The capabilities of the Central Environmental Authority were undoubtedly

45. policies as a result of the pro,ject revision (D), the CEA contributed to the long- term goal of the Sri Lanka Governemnt to further harmonious economic development while projecting and managing the environment.

46. between the Government and the United Nations Agencies and non-governmental

Furthermore, by assuming sole responsibility for co-ordinating environmental

The establishment of the Steering Committee provided the institutional link

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organizations. As a result, the project was able to sensitize a wider public, comprising media staff, government decision-makers and the younger generation in schools to matters of environmental protection and management.

47. The training and- experience acquired through the study tours laid the bases for future planning, where programmes and choice of equipment were concerned, and helped to generate enthusiasm as all members remained with the project. This also enabled the CEA to evaluate Sri Lanka's relevance when the awareness campaign was implemented. The corpus of information collected was of valuable use in preparing the leaflets and brochures and other media materials and constitutes a stock that should be built up in the future.

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48. certain priority areas of the environment for media .focus and concentration in the Communication Package.

49. a catalysis for further co-ordinated action.

The questionnaire conducted by the consultants helped the CEA to identify

These aspects were later raised at the National Seminar, which served as

50. Meanwhile, the mass awareness generated by the training activities in the districts, Aich had been greatly facilitated by the audio-visual equipment procured under the project, enabled the non-governmental organizations concerned with environmental protection to establish an apex body of their own, the Sri Lanka Environmental Congress. In all, 40 organizations, such as the March for Conservation, Environmental Foundation Ltd., "Ruk Rekaganno", Nation Builders and so on, grouped together to form the Congress, which is now pursuing its action.

51. seems likely to continue its regular activities.

The media cell set up on the basis of the results of the questionnaire

52. It soon became clear that the preparation of the Communication Package had achieved its purpose of producing a sharper and quicker impact on a wider population. Public awareness of environmental education had clearly improved as a result and the project has since penetrated student and youth communities.

53. awareness materials has made a lasting contribution in the non-formal field. The audio-visual equipment was and is widely employed in national and district- level programmes, at seminars and workshops and in the schools. Similarly, its publications and supplementary readers have contributed to furthering the dissemination of environmental teaching in the formal school system.

Where environment and education is concerned, the media package of

54 The poster competition envisaged to create initial awareness on environmental issues had a catalytic effect in that several district agencies and NOGs have subsequently held similar exhibitions.

55 series has helped to bring together script-writers and professional teams to determine environmentally relevant material. The script-writer of the film produced under the project by the CEA continued to be directly involved, as were the regular CFA staff who had to co-ordinate the activities of music composers,

Again, the production of the video film on Water Pollution and the slide

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narrators and graphic artists as well as supervise the technical aspects of location, shooting and editing. All of this proved a rewarding experience for all concerned.

56 - The package of awareness materials should be used to build on these achievements in village areas and in schools and should be included in the curricula of existing training and educational institutions.

57. Much support has been enlisted and much progress obtained and it is fair to say that the project objectives have been met, yet the project remains relevant today. Future trends in the country may indeed call for further technical assistance in this area but for the time being an extension of activities in environmental education has not been included in the 1987-1991 country Programme.

58 - In addition to activities carried out under the above project, Unesco took further action to strengthen the training of personnel of CEA through its international and subregional activities in environmental education. In this context Unesco funded the participation of (i) Director of Environmental Promotion of CEA to Subregional Training Workshop on Non-formal Environmental Education for Asia, Malaysia, 18-22 November 1987, (ii) Director of CEA to the Consultation Meeting on the Incorporation of Environmental Education into Technical and Vocational Education, Singapore, 10-14 March 1986, and (iii) Member of CEA Board to the International Congress on Environmental Education and Training, MOSCOW , USSR, 17-21 August 1987.

59 - providing financial, technical and advisory support to CEA for the preparation and organization of a Unesco-CEA Seminar on Environmental Education in Sri Lanka for early 1988. A steering Committee under the chairmanship of M.J.T. Dumbukola, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Education with members of CEA, Ministry of Education (Director, Curriculum), (Director, Non-formal Education) and University of Colombo have decided on the inputs and outputs of the above seminar which will be attended by about 50 experienced educators, curriculum developers, scientists, planners as well as specialists in agriculture, technology, industry, mining, tourism from the ministries and educational institutions whose actions and decisions have immediate and long-term impact on the environment of Sri Lanka. The main objectives of this seminar are (i) to report on the outcomes of the Operational Project SRL/79/046 - Public Awareness on Environmental Protection and Management, (ii) to examine the state of the environsent of Sri Lanka and determine some of the urgent needs and priorities for -its protection and improve- ment, and (iii) to formulate appropriate guidelines for further actions on developing environmental education and training, as a measure for environmental protection and improvement, in the context of primary and secondary education, teacher training, technical and vocational education, university general educahion and non-formal education.

As an immediate follow-up of this project (SRL/79/046), Unesco is

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60. in the preparation and implementation of this project which is being terminated has certainly led to the development of a functional infrastructure at CEA, to the training of a group of qualified personal at CEA, to provision of needed equipment and production of audio-visual materials, and to reproduction and dissemination of student readers and teachers guide in environmental education with the involvement of Curriculum Development Centre. All of this form an asset which should be put into further good use for the development of environ- mental education as a measure for the solution and prevention of environmental problems and improvement of the environment of SriLanka. In this context it is highly recommended that (i) CEA be supported for a modest project of about $ 100,000 for a duration of two to three years in order to utilize its gained experiences and its human and material resources for further catalization of the activities of governmental and non-governmental institutions in the incorporation of environmental education into curriculum of primary and secondary schools, teacher training, technical and vocational education, university general education and non-formal education, (ii) the Sri Lanka educational authorities and donating agencies require the incorporation of environmental education into all new formal and non-formal education projects, and (iii) CEA and the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka consider the possibility of incorporat- ing environmental education into the Education Policy of Sri Lanka.

The investment made by UNDP, Unesco and the Government of Sri Lanka

Name - Country of Origin

Habbard, H. I. U SA

Abdo, S. LEEi

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APPENDIX A

Consultants

Field of Specialization

Curricula & Programme Designer

Media Designer

Duration of Contract - ~~ From To

14.09.83 - 04.10.83 -

08.11.83

06.12.83

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APPENDIX B

National Staff

Name Function

Ailapperuma, W.D.

Nanayakkara, V.K. Gunapala, A.K.

Ariyadasa, E.

Fonseka, L. (Ms)

Amarasekera, N. (Ms)

Anwar, A.A.

National Project Director

Pro j ec t CO-ordinat or

Media & Documentation Specialist Media & Documen tat ion Special is t Officer for Media Production, Project Assistant

District-Level Programmes

Dis trict-Level Programmes

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APPENDIX C

Name

List of Study Tours awarded

Country

Fonseka, L. (Ms) Malaysia Phil ipp ine s Singapore

Amarasekera, N.(Ms) Malaysia Philippines Singapore

Anwar, A.A. Ph il ipp ine s Singapore Indonesia

Nanayakkara, V ,K. Philippines Japan Thailand

Gunapala, A.K. Japan Thailand Malaysia

Duration Purpose of study

January/February To collect information on 1984 successful techniques that

may be used to improve the public awareness programme .. .. .. JanuarylFebruary

1984

.. .. .. JanuaryIFebruary 1984

November/December Training in the development 1985 of a media package on

environment and the preparation of training curricula

.. .. November /Decemb er 1985

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Publication ana Video Film teams

Publication team

Fernando, A.A.D.

Gauthamadasa, G.H. Silva, W. Ailapperuma, W.D. Fonseka, L. (Ms)

Video Film team

Mancuanayake , A. Nanayakkara, V.K. Perera, M. (Ms)

Fonseka, L. (Ms)

Siriwardena, S. Karunaratne , K. Fernando, J.

Jayasinghe , S. Gunathilaka, D. Tissera, D.

Wi j eratne , L .

Author

Author

Member of Committee

Member of Committee

Member of Committee

Director

Executive Producer

Assistant Director

Co-ordinator

Music composing & Recording Camera

Editing

Sound Control

Recording

Techn i ca 1 Technician

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APPENDIX E

List of equipment purchased under the Unesco/UNDP/CU project on public awareness

IBM Electric typewriter National Video Camera and accessories

26" Colour Television set

RICOR Off -set Printer RICOR Electronic Plate Maker Toyota Hiace Diesel Bus

NV 777 EN-VOR

Portable Video Cassette Recorder (AC Adapter and Battery Pack)

PA System: 2 Loud Speakers; 1 Microphone; 1 Mounting kit

Sound-sl ide Projector

16 mm Sound Projector Overhead Projector and accessories

Honda Generator

Transparancy Maker/Cop ier

Photophone Screeen with Tripod Stand

2 Air Conditioners UNCHID Paper Guillotine NIKON F Camera and accessories World Processor

Gestetner Velo Binder 100 Binding strips A/4 (Red)