Excellence awards for the best law enforcement officers of SLaWEN

Celebrating Sri Lanka’s dedicated wildlife officers whose excellence and commitment drive stronger enforcement and conservation outcomes.

 

The Sri Lankan Wildlife Enforcement Network (SLaWEN), established in 2011 with 11 government agencies and now expanded to 15 institutions, plays a vital role in strengthening coordination among law enforcement bodies to combat illegal wildlife trade and trafficking in Sri Lanka. The network develops strategies, operational standards, and joint mechanisms for investigation, prosecution, information-sharing, and intelligence gathering to protect the nation’s biodiversity.

Under the initiative “Building Long-Term Capacity to Combat Illegal Wildlife Trafficking in Sri Lanka,” funded by the UK Government through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund and implemented by the Environmental Foundation (Guarantee) Limited (EFL) in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), renewed efforts have been made to revitalize SLaWEN and enhance its capacity to respond effectively to wildlife trafficking.

As part of this initiative, the “Excellence Awards for the Best Law Enforcement Officers of SLaWEN – 2023” were introduced to recognize and motivate exemplary officers dedicated to curbing wildlife crime. The inaugural award ceremony was held on 21 December 2023 at Lavender Hall, BMICH, celebrating officers from four SLaWEN institutions.

The event was graced by Hon. Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi, Minister of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation and Minister of Irrigation, along with Mrs. Chandra Herath, the Ministry Secretary, SLaWEN institutional heads, and the selection committee led by Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya.

In total, five officers from the Forest Department, four from the Department of Wildlife Conservation, two from Sri Lanka Customs, and three from Sri Lanka Police were honoured as the Best Law Enforcement Officers of SLaWEN 2023, marking a significant milestone in motivating excellence and commitment across Sri Lanka’s wildlife law enforcement community.