The Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust

What The Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust does

The Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust (WWCT) is a Sri Lankan nonprofit conservation trust founded in 2004 and headquartered in Colombo, operating with a small team of approximately 7 employees. Its mandate is the conservation of the Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya), the island's only large terrestrial predator, through long-term ecological research conducted across multiple study sites including Dunumadalawa, Sigiriya, Ritigala, Wilpattu, Peak Wilderness, and Gal Oya. The trust deploys camera trapping technology and GPS telemetry collar systems — including the first successful self-release GPS collaring of a leopard in Sri Lanka — to monitor populations, map habitat use, and identify critical wildlife corridors. Core programs include The Leopard Project, Forest Connections, Corridors for Conservation, Education & Awareness, and the Human-Leopard Co-existence Initiative.

WWCT's business model is donation-based: the organization does not sell products or services and is funded through voluntary contributions from individual donors, international conservation awards (the Whitley Award is referenced), and in-kind partnerships with private landowners (Back of Beyond, Finlays Private Limited) and the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC). Distribution is executed through direct community engagement, school-based education programs reaching 500+ students and 15 schools in the PRFC area, public lectures, and digital channels including website, newsletter, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Its work spans four primary stakeholder segments: government conservation agencies (DWC), rural communities living with wildlife in the Central Highlands, schools and educational institutions, and individual donors. The trust has no disclosed revenue, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no public listing.

Name

The Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust

Legal name

The Wilderness and Wildlife Conservation Trust

Website

https://wwct.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust is a Sri Lankan nonprofit founded in 2004 that conducts long-term ecological research and community education focused on conserving the Sri Lankan leopard across multiple study sites, funded entirely by donations and partner support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conservation & Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (BPAGAIAI), Wildlife Surveys & Movement/Connectivity Studies (e.g., Avian/Bat, Telemetry) (EUAHAHAH)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation services
• Leopard ecological research
• Habitat corridor protection
• Community wildlife education
• Human-wildlife coexistence

Headquarters

HQ city

Colombo

HQ country

Sri Lanka

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Support: WWCT relies on donations from supporters and funding from partners to fund its conservation research and community outreach programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust conducts long-term ecological research on the Sri Lankan leopard across multiple study sites in Sri Lanka, combined with community outreach and education programs to support human-leopard coexistence and habitat corridor protection. Its work is delivered through an interconnected portfolio of conservation programs rather than commercial products, funded by donations and partner support.

Product overview

The Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust operates a portfolio of interconnected conservation programs rather than a traditional product platform. The core offering consists of The Leopard Project, a long-term ecological research initiative studying Sri Lankan leopard populations across multiple study sites. This is supported by Forest Connections (identifying wildlife corridors) and Corridors for Conservation (protecting identified land corridors in the Central Highlands). Education & Awareness programs deliver community outreach, while the Human-Leopard Co-existence Initiative addresses conflict resolution through research and anti-snare campaigns. Knowledge dissemination occurs through Field Notes blog and Publications & Reports. Together, these programs form an integrated conservation research and action framework rather than a modular software product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Leopard Project Long-term ecological research program focused on the Sri Lankan leopard, studying its land-use patterns and habitat needs to inform conservation strategies for this threatened species.
• Forest Connections Research initiative examining how wildlife utilizes remaining wilderness areas to identify vital corridors for targeted conservation and regeneration.
• Corridors for Conservation Initiative focused on identifying and protecting leopard land corridors in Sri Lanka's Central Highlands through collaborative conservation efforts with multiple partners.
• Education & Awareness Community outreach program focusing on increasing understanding of human-wildlife coexistence and the value of wilderness spaces through school programs, talks, and community engagement.
• Human-Leopard Co-existence Initiative Program aimed at reducing human-leopard conflict in the Central Highlands through leopard collaring research, anti-snare campaigns, and awareness programs to prevent retaliatory killings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 49 individual leopards photo-captured during 3-month survey at Wilpattu National Park
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Back of BeyondcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Back of Beyond is a partner in the Patch Forest Project in Sigiriya, providing access to their properties (Pidurangala and Dehigaha Ela) for wildlife monitoring and research. This partnership has confirmed the value of patch forests for wild cats and their role in providing movement corridors.
• Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015DWC is the primary government partner for wildlife research and conservation initiatives. WWCT collaborates with DWC on field projects, leopard surveys, and human-leopard coexistence programs, including joint releases and conservation actions.
• Finlays Private LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011WWCT conducted wildcat presence/absence and biodiversity surveys at Duckwari Forest as part of a student project, at the invitation of Finlays Private Limited, one of Sri Lanka's largest tea and private landowners.
• CERZAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCERZA is a supporting partner shown in the Sigiriya project page, providing support for wildlife conservation research activities.
• Ayu in the WildminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAyu in the Wild is listed as a supporting partner in the Sigiriya project, contributing to conservation efforts.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Wildlife Conservation Society: Major international conservation organization operating field programs across multiple countries. Comparable to WWCT in running long-term ecological research, wildlife population monitoring, and government partnerships for protected-area management.
• Fauna & Flora International: International conservation NGO focused on threatened species and habitats globally. Comparable to WWCT in combining species-specific research, habitat protection initiatives, and community-based conservation programming.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): One of the world's largest conservation organizations, active in species protection and habitat conservation globally. Comparable to WWCT through its work on large predator conservation and human-wildlife conflict, though operating at a far larger scale.
• IUCN Cat Specialist Group: IUCN specialist group responsible for assessing the conservation status of wild cats globally. Comparable to WWCT through its focus on cat species conservation, red list assessments, and scientific advisory work on threatened felids.

Direct peers

• Panthera: Global wild cat conservation organization focused on protecting the world's wild cats and their habitats. Comparable to WWCT through its work on leopard and small wild cat conservation, telemetry research, and human-wildlife conflict mitigation, though at a global rather than single-country scale.
• Born Free Foundation: Wildlife conservation charity focused on protecting wild animals in their natural habitats, with strong emphasis on big cats. Comparable to WWCT through its mission-driven species protection, community education programs, and field research.
• Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation: Specialized NGO focused on the conservation of small wild cat species globally. Comparable to WWCT through its research-driven approach to small cat ecology and threats like snaring and habitat loss.

Others

• Whitley Fund for Nature: UK-based conservation funder that provides Whitley Awards to grassroots conservation leaders globally. Relevant to WWCT because the trust has received a Whitley Award, situating it within this funder's network of recognized conservation NGOs.
• Department of Wildlife Conservation, Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan government agency responsible for wildlife management in the country's protected areas. Comparable to WWCT as a primary collaborator and enabler — DWC sets policy and grants access, while WWCT supplies research capacity.

Regional players

• The Leopard Trust: Conservation organization focused on leopard populations in a specific regional context (South Africa). Comparable to WWCT in its single-species, single-country focus on leopard research, monitoring, and human-wildlife coexistence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wwctsrilanka
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/wwctsrilanka
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-wilderness-wildlife-conservation-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust