TERN served as the Knowledge Management and Capacity Building partner for 12 UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme projects across Sri Lanka, covering biodiversity, climate change, and land degradation. Our role included providing technical support, monitoring progress, guiding data collection, and mentoring grantees to improve outcomes. Through on-site visits, workshops, and tailored mentoring, TERN helped community-based projects strengthen their capacity, produce reliable data, and document lessons for wider sharing. We also facilitated stakeholder networks, linking grantees with government agencies, experts, and donors to enhance long-term sustainability. By supporting projects ranging from forest fire prevention and medicinal plant restoration to climate-friendly urban transport and organic farming, TERN ensured that local conservation initiatives achieved measurable impact while contributing to national and global biodiversity goals.

Knowledge Management (KM) and Capacity Building (CB) are critical for ensuring that conservation and development projects achieve long-lasting results. KM captures lessons, best practices, and data in ways that can be shared, replicated, and scaled, while CB strengthens the ability of organizations to deliver on their missions. Under the GEF/SGP Operational Phase 5 (OP5), the UNDP Small Grants Programme recognized the importance of investing in KM and CB as strategic priorities to maximize the impact of community-based conservation initiatives. As part of this effort, TERN was selected as one of three NGOs to lead KM and CB initiatives across Sri Lanka. Our mandate was to support twelve grantee projects nationwide, spanning the focal areas of biodiversity, climate change, and land degradation. These projects ranged from wetland restoration to fire management, organic farming, sustainable livelihoods, and climate-friendly urban transport. By providing technical guidance, monitoring support, and organizational mentoring, TERN ensured that local grantees could improve project quality, generate measurable impacts, and embed lessons for long-term sustainability.

Scope of Work

TERN’s KM and CB responsibilities covered the following 12 projects across Sri Lanka:
1.    Rehabilitation of Yalpotha Tank & Canals, Lahugala – Enhancing water management and resilience.
2.    Thirappane Tank Biodiversity Improvement & Protection – Safeguarding aquatic ecosystems.
3.    Biodiversity & Catchment Conservation in Plantation Communities, Badulla – Linking social empowerment with conservation.
4.    Community Knowledge on Biodiversity, Law & Policy, Kundasale – Strengthening awareness and governance.
5.    Land Degradation & Sustainable Forest Management, Mesale (Jaffna) – Combating dry zone degradation.
6.    Community-Based Biodiversity Conservation, Kodigahakanda – Protecting a unique forest ecosystem.
7.    Protection of Belihuloya Galagama Forest Reserve Against Fires – Mobilizing communities for fire management.
8.    Bakmitiyawa-Thimbirigolla Grassland Conservation, Ampara – Promoting sustainable grassland management.
9.    Medicinal Plant Replanting in Thellipalai Resettlement Areas – Conserving rare species while supporting livelihoods.
10.    Promotion of Organic Home Gardens, Maravanpulo – Encouraging sustainable food systems.
11.    Palmyra-Based Livelihoods, Pachchilaipalli – Reducing pressure on forests through sustainable income generation.
12.    Reducing GHG Emissions in Colombo – Promoting environmentally sustainable transport and energy.
By engaging across this wide portfolio, TERN was able to identify synergies, support cross-learning, and develop scalable knowledge products relevant to diverse ecological and social contexts.

Activities and Approaches

1. Capacity Assessments and Technical Support
TERN carried out on-site assessments to identify grantee needs, strengths, and gaps. Each project was unique, requiring tailored support. Where specialized expertise was needed, TERN facilitated inputs from resource persons and technical experts. Grantees also received assistance to revise project proposals, strengthen logical frameworks, and improve monitoring indicators.

2. Baseline Data Collection and Verification
Sound data is the backbone of effective project monitoring. TERN provided structured tools and training to help grantees establish baseline biodiversity, socio-economic, and environmental data. For several projects in Jaffna, additional technical experts were deployed to ensure reliable surveys. TERN then verified grantee data against proposed indicators, ensuring consistency and credibility.

3. Knowledge Management and Documentation
TERN emphasized the importance of systematic documentation. We guided grantees to maintain organized records, produce progress reports, and, crucially—develop pictorial databases that captured field activities visually. These photo stories became valuable tools for communication, advocacy, and knowledge-sharing both locally and internationally. TERN itself maintained a robust project photo archive, some of which were later used by the UNDP/SGP country office.

4. Monitoring and Field Visits
Regular monitoring visits allowed TERN to track project progress, troubleshoot issues, and engage with community stakeholders. These visits often doubled as mentoring opportunities, where TERN staff joined grantee-led community events such as tree planting campaigns, fire management training, and livelihood tool distribution. This presence helped build trust and created a feedback loop between communities, grantees, and funding agencies.

5. Networking and Stakeholder Engagement
TERN played a vital role in expanding stakeholder networks for grantees. By connecting projects to relevant government agencies, NGOs, and technical experts, we helped broaden their resource base and increase sustainability. Notably, the Lahugala tank rehabilitation project leveraged TERN-facilitated networks to secure additional funding from a Korean donor. TERN also acted as a mediator between grantees and government institutions, helping to resolve challenges in sensitive cases such as Chavakachcheri and Galagama.

Outcomes and Impact

Through this KM and CB initiative, TERN:
•    Strengthened the technical and organizational capacity of 12 grantee projects, ensuring they could deliver higher-quality, more measurable results.
•    Improved data quality and monitoring systems, enabling grantees to track and demonstrate their impacts more effectively.
•    Encouraged the production and use of visual knowledge products, enhancing communication, advocacy, and knowledge-sharing at local and global levels.
•    Expanded stakeholder networks, creating new opportunities for collaboration and funding.
•    Increased community engagement, with TERN’s presence at local events building trust and visibility.

Perhaps most importantly, this initiative demonstrated how strategic KM and CB can elevate small, community-driven projects into replicable models for biodiversity conservation, climate action, and sustainable land management. The lessons learned and knowledge products generated through this process continue to inform broader conservation practice in Sri Lanka.