Pitawalapathana is a grassland located in the Knuckles Conservation Forest in Riverston, Matale. It is universally recognised for its unique biodiversity including amphibians, small mammals, lizards and many endemic flora and fauna species such as Watessa, Binara, Kandulessa, Nilmonaressa and Pathan Ala. One of the most fascinating species in this area is the carnivorous plant species such as Kandulessa and Watessa. However one of the main challenges faced is the encroachment of alien invasive plant species that disturb the delicate balance of this ecosystem.
Invasive species are detrimental to a forest and they change the character of the forest, threatening its biodiversity, overwhelming endemic species, and impacting soil quality among other concerns. Identifying the need for immediate and appropriate action, National Development Bank PLC volunteered and assisted the ‘Department of Forest Conservation’ (DFC) to remove the invasive plants at Pitawalapathana. The project which was launched in 2020 is continuing with an area of 5 hectares cleared of invasive plants and maintained regularly. This year the Bank sponsored the removal of invasive plants for another 5 hectares and to date a total of 10 hectares is maintained by the Bank.
Volunteers of the Bank under the leadership of Director/GCEO Mr. Dimantha Seneviratne, joined by members of the ‘The Leadership Team’, ‘Corporate Sustainability Committee’ and staff volunteers visited the plains recently and engaged in the removal of invasive plants. The Bank volunteers were joined by the officials from the DFC.
NDB Bank was recently named the Best Bank in Sri Lanka by Euromoney, making it the fourth major award received from the world’s most prestigious publications in financial services – Euromoney, Global Finance and The Banker. This win for NDB comes in the light of being named the ‘Most Awarded Corporate 2021’ as per LMD ranking. The Bank was also recently named one of the ‘Top 50 Best Workplaces in Sri Lanka 2022’ by Great Place To Work, USA. NDB is the 4th largest listed bank in Sri Lanka and the parent company of the NDB Group. The only financial services group in Sri Lanka, NDB Group is uniquely positioned towards assisting the growth and development of the Sri Lankan financial market to provide its customers seamless access to the product and service offerings of all its group companies.