The Dambulla Arboretum was established in 1963 by Mr. Sam Popham on 7.5 acres of degraded chena land in he Dambulla area, the dry heartland of Sri Lanka. Mr.Popham helped local indigenous trees to survive by getting rid of the invasives and established this Arboretum of indigenous Dry Zone trees. He gifted the Arboretum to the Institute of Fundamental Studies (IFS) in 1989 before he left Sri Lanka for the UK. The IFS called for managers in 2005 and Ruk Rakaganno took over the management of the Arboretum.

It is necessary to keep our beaches clean if we hope to keep our oceans clean. Beaches are home to various creatures. When the tides rise, it collects items on the beach and takes these out to the sea, It later goes to the oceans and gets eaten by the marine life. 100 million marine mammals each year are said to be suffering from plastics and rubbish sent by us to the ocean, The beaches bordering Colombo are getting dirtier and dirtier as people throw their plastic and broken glass bottles and candy wrappings on to the beach. Even personal domestic waste is sometimes found on the beach.

The Women's Environment Center was set up in 1992 in order to focus on women's environmental problems, particularly in the rural areas, and to involve women in the struggle for a better environment. These women have to find their own sources of water, firewood and food. The destruction of forests depletes the water and fuel sources, supplementary foods and local medicines which they collect from forest sources. This destruction of the environment affects them a great deal, as it is the woman's role to find these resources.

Annual General Meeting – 27 October 2025. There was a warm and familiar buzz at Kithu Sevena, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, as members gathered for Ruk Rakaganno’s 50th Annual General Meeting. Nineteen dedicated members joined the event, including a special guest — Ranmal, daughter of our past president Mrs. Kamini Vitharana, visiting from the UK. It was a reminder of the strong and lasting bonds built over five decades of conservation

Ruk Rakaganno members and guests gathered at the Nugegoda Wetland Park on Deepavali morning to celebrate nature’s beauty through a guided biodiversity walk — exploring native trees, sharing stories, and planting a symbol of hope for a greener tomorrow.

Hope to see you all!

Ruk Rakaganno hosted an immersive educational program for Gateway College Rajagiriya students at its Suduwelipotha reforestation site, highlighting rainforest conservation and biodiversity.

Ruk Rakaganno shaped a sustainable landscape plan for Kithu Sevana.

Ruk Rakaganno kicked off its Golden Anniversary with the Siripa Aruna project, inspiring students to conserve the Peak Wilderness Rain Forest through hands-on activities and biodiversity education.

Ruk Rakaganno collaborates with the John Keells Foundation to support sustainable beekeeping and community empowerment in Habarana, Sri Lanka.

Ruk Rakagnno as the implementing partner helps Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts to win The Best Project Sustainability Award @ The Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards 2024

Ruk Rakaganno introduces The Smart Bee Colony Monitoring System for the first time in Sri Lanka

We are thrilled to announce some exciting developments in our ongoing reforestation efforts!

Rukrakaganno and Deutsche Bank staff visited Dankombuwa for the successful first harvest of a women-empowering beekeeping project, culminating in a honey extraction demonstration and participants receiving pure honey jars.

Students from Weddagala Maha Vindhyalaya participated in a hands-on environmental education program at the Cinnamon Rain Forest Restoration Site, aimed at promoting rainforest conservation awareness among youth, facilitated by experts from the University of Colombo and supported by Ruk Rakaganno.

Hanne Lund Madsen, Sustainability Director, Forward Advice, Denmark

The Beekeeping for Honey Production Project by Ruk Rakaganno, supported by Deutsche Bank, fosters eco-friendly honey production for sustainable livelihoods and forest conservation.

Beekeeping training: practical hive transfer, highlighting the importance of bees. Safety equipment provided. Next step: Youth awareness event on 24 January.

The utilization of Bees for Sustainable Development

Tree planting activity on Cinnamon Rainforest Restoration Project at Sinharaja by Ruk Rakaganno And JKH volunteers held on 21/05/2022.

Sunday Times Feature Article Purple blooms to beautify Radella shortcut by Dushy Perera. (Published 29th May 2022)

Sunday Times Feature Article on Cinnamon Rainforest Restoration Project. (Published 27th Feb 2022)

A much needed wheelchair was presented to the Community at Suduwelipotha by RukRakaganno on the 6th of October- 2021.

Soragune is located in the Baddulla district of the Uva province. It lays to the south of Haldummulla and is drained by the Weli Oya and its branches. The Weli Oya joins the Walawe Ganga further south, as it flows into the Walawe National Park. It is an area of forest and savannah noted for its elephants. However, there are a number of other notable species, including wild cats, deer, fishing cats, otters, and deer, among a range of flora, such as savannah grasslands and riverine forests.

The Tsunami which hit in 2004 devastated the coastal areas and the vegetation protecting the land. It was found that in areas where there was coastal vegetation, the tsunami caused less damage, than where there was not. Ruk Rakaganno collaborated with schools to replant trees and shrubs such as Pandanus, Spinifex, and Barringtonia in the South and South East coastal areas.

The Dambulla Arboretum was established in 1963 by Mr. Sam Popham on 7.5 acres of degraded chena land in he Dambulla area, the dry heartland of Sri Lanka. Mr.Popham helped local indigenous trees to survive by getting rid of the invasives and established this Arboretum of indigenous Dry Zone trees. He gifted the Arboretum to the Institute of Fundamental Studies (IFS) in 1989 before he left Sri Lanka for the UK. The IFS called for managers in 2005 and Ruk Rakaganno took over the management of the Arboretum.

It is necessary to keep our beaches clean if we hope to keep our oceans clean. Beaches are home to various creatures. When the tides rise, it collects items on the beach and takes these out to the sea, It later goes to the oceans and gets eaten by the marine life. 100 million marine mammals each year are said to be suffering from plastics and rubbish sent by us to the ocean, The beaches bordering Colombo are getting dirtier and dirtier as people throw their plastic and broken glass bottles and candy wrappings on to the beach. Even personal domestic waste is sometimes found on the beach.

The Women's Environment Center was set up in 1992 in order to focus on women's environmental problems, particularly in the rural areas, and to involve women in the struggle for a better environment. These women have to find their own sources of water, firewood and food. The destruction of forests depletes the water and fuel sources, supplementary foods and local medicines which they collect from forest sources. This destruction of the environment affects them a great deal, as it is the woman's role to find these resources.