Sri Lanka, Aug. 20 -- Sri Lanka's Central Highlands are far more than a spectacular landscape. Their forests, grasslands and headwaters feed major river systems, harbour unique biodiversity and support the water, agriculture, energy and livelihoods on which millions of Sri Lankans depend.

What happens in the Highlands does not stay in the Highlands.

Climate change, land-use conversion, habitat fragmentation, invasive species and unsustainable development are placing these ecosystems under growing pressure. The consequences can travel downstream, from declining water security and agricultural productivity to impacts on hydropower, tourism and business.

Protecting the Highlands is therefore becoming not simply an environmental concern, b...