Co-Founder and Managing Trustee for The Wilderness &
Wildlife Conservation Trust (WWCT) in Sri Lanka, Anjali Watson has been
recognized in the latest segment from CNNs Answering the Call part of the
networks global initiative Call to Earth for her work to protect the habitat
of Sri Lankan Leopards.
"Weve lost a lot of leopards," informs Watson. "Nobody
knows how many prowled the land before the war, but about 70% of the animals
habitat has been destroyed, and only 750 to 1,000 adult leopards remain."
As Sri Lankas top predator, and its only big cat, the
leopard plays a key role in the countrys ecosystem.
To collect data and monitor their numbers, Watson and her
husband Andrew Kittle, went on to establish the Wilderness and Wildlife
Conservation Trust (WWCT) in 2004, which investigates the size and movements of
the leopard population using remote cameras.
The mission of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit is to
achieve practical solutions to conservation problems through original
scientific research.
Watson tells CNN that WWCTs data will help to shape
development plans that make space for leopards. If corridors between forest
patches and buffer zones around protected areas are safeguarded, both humans
and animals could thrive.
"We sit at a junction right now. We as a nation can choose
to go either way. We stand somewhere where we can make a decision collectively
to do the right thing and not make the mistake of developing so fast and so
quickly and destroying what we have… We need to do it now. The urgency is now.
Otherwise what will happen is we will lose everything."
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