Oceanswell is Sri Lanka's first marine conservation and research education organisation and was founded by marine biologist

Asha de Vos Asha de Vos (Sinhala:ආශා ඩි වොස් (born 1979) is a Sri Lankan marine biologist, ocean educator and pioneer of blue whale research within the northern Indian Ocean. She is known for her Blue Whale Project. She is a Senior TED Fell ...

Projects

The Blue Whale Project

Oceanswell is known for the Blue Whale Project which is the first long-term study on blue whales in the Northern Indian Ocean. The project focuses on the conservation of blue whales from threats such as ship strikes. De Vos founded the Blue Whale Project which is the flagship project of Oceanswell.

Conservation research

Research includes the COVID-19 and Fisheries Project, natural variability of Mount Lavinia Beach, effectiveness of shark fishing bans and advocacy research against beach nourishments conducted without Environmental Impact Assessments. Recent publications advocate against '

parachute science Neo-colonial research or neo-colonial science, frequently described as helicopter research, parachute science or research, parasitic research, or safari study, is when researchers from wealthier countries go to a developing country, collect inform ...

' which is practice of Western scientists collecting data in developing countries and leaving without training in the region.

Education and outreach

Oceanswell conducts educational sessions for school children, skill building courses, marine conservation field courses, monthly gatherings for individuals of different fields to discuss marine conservation issues, rscues stranded marine animals and conducts awareness on species.

Awards

Honoured as a Goodwill Champion at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos.{{Cite web, date=2020-01-24, title=HCL Technologies Honors Global Goodwill Champions at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos, url=https://stateofaffairs.news/press-release/hcl-technologies-honors-global-goodwill-champions-at-the-2020-world-economic-forum-in-davos/, access-date=2021-01-12, website=State of Affairs, language=en-US

References

Environmental organisations based in Sri Lanka Marine conservation organizations Marine biologists Research groups