COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, August 18, 2025 (ePRESS) – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka has launched a new livestock insurance scheme aimed at protecting both farmers and the country’s endangered Sri Lankan leopard.
The initiative, introduced under UNDP’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), is carried out with the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS), financial services group LOLC, and the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The programme offers prompt cash compensation to farmers who lose their livestock to leopard attacks. It seeks to reduce the number of retaliatory killings of leopards, a serious threat to the survival of the species.
“The Sri Lankan Leopard is an important part of our ecosystem, but it faces growing danger due to shrinking forests and loss of natural prey,” UNDP said. “This has led to more clashes with people, especially farmers.”
Under the scheme, if a leopard kills livestock, farmers can report the case to a WNPS regional officer. The Department of Wildlife Conservation, along with veterinary and local officers, will verify the claim. Once approved, compensation will be paid directly to the livestock owner.
Sri Lanka’s only big cat, the Panthera pardus kotiya, is listed as endangered and numbers have been falling in recent years. The new scheme is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka, aiming to protect rural livelihoods while ensuring the survival of one of the country’s most iconic animals.
