The 28th International Forestry and Environment Symposium commenced on January 5th, 2024, at the New Senate Board Room, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The symposium’s theme is “Forest and Environmental Management Towards Economic Recovery and Resilience,” which aims to discuss critical issues within these realms. The opening ceremony was honored by Senior Professor Sampath Amaratunge, Chairman of the University Grants Commission, as the chief guest. Joining the distinguished assembly were Senior Professor Pathmalal Manage, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and Professor Upul Subasinghe, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science, who contributed to the occasion. Dr. Chahmila Pathirana from the Department of Forestry and Environmental Sciences coordinated the symposium, which Prof. Daham Jayawardana chaired.
Dr. Tricia Wevill, a distinguished speaker from the Faculty of Science, Engineering & Built Environment at Deakin University, Australia, delivered the keynote address at the symposium. The focus of her presentation was on the occurrences of forest fires in Australia.
The January 5th and 6th, 2024 symposium featured 222 research papers presented across twelve distinct sessions as Forest and Natural Resource Management, Biodiversity Conservation and Management, Waste Management and Pollution Control, Environmental Economics and Resource Management, Climate Change and Disaster Management, Biomass and Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Tourism, Sustainable Land Use and Urban Development, Wood Science, Wood, Non-Wood Industry, Environmental Engineering and Green Technology, Geology, Soil and Water Resource Management, and Citizen Science Forum for Young Environmental Scientist. These sessions occurred concurrently in four parallel tracks at the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science premises.
Securing financial backing is crucial for organizing this event. Tokyo Cement Group has graciously taken on the role of platinum sponsor, joined by Sisili Hanaro Encare (Pvt) Ltd and Control Union Inspections (Pvt) Ltd as silva and gold sponsors, respectively. Additionally, Gennext (Pvt) Ltd, GIS Solutions (Pvt) Ltd, and Map Lanka (Pvt) Ltd have generously offered their support as bronze sponsors for this year’s symposium.
As per Professor Hiran Amarasekara, one of the founding members, the inception of the International Forestry and Environmental Science Symposium in 1995 aimed to establish a platform for young researchers to showcase their findings. Over the years, the symposium has evolved into the region’s premier and longest-standing event, gaining renown for its significance.
By. Prof. Daham Jayawardana
