The NSF initiated the National Thematic Research Programme (NTRP) to address national issues in four major areas. One theme identified under this programme was “Climate Change & Natural Disasters” to address challenges faced by Sri Lanka due to climate change. The “Progress Review Seminar – 2022” was held on Tuesday, 10th January 2023 in the Auditorium of the NSF as a hybrid event, to assess the progress of ongoing research projects under climate change. The progress evaluation was done by the NSF Steering Committee on Climate Change & Natural Disasters in the presence of Dr Sepalika Sudasinghe (Director General/NSF) and the NSF team. The Steering Committee consists of eminent scientists in Sri Lanka, Prof. W. L. Sumathipala, Prof. Buddhi Marambe, Prof. J. J. Wijethunga, Prof. C. S. De Silva, Dr B. V. R. Punyawardena, Dr Ananda Mallawatantri, Dr K. Arunalanthan, Mr S. Premalal and Mr R. P. Samarakkody.
Four research teams presented the progress on the following projects:
- Assessment of vulnerability and challenges on Quality of Life (QoL) of national ageing population due to climate change risks
- Comparative analysis of climate-resilient biodiversity of home garden ecosystems in different agro-ecological regions of Sri Lanka
- Quantification of the response of tropical rainforests of Sri Lanka to increased atmospheric temperature for prediction of the impact of future climate change on their carbon balance
- Understanding the long-term influence of Indian Ocean Warm Pool and Indian Ocean Dipole on the monsoon variability of Sri Lanka