Our Mission
The NeoSynthesis Research Centre (NSRC) was founded in 1985 to focus on conservation of biological diversity, regenerative land use and sustainable farmer livelihoods. The idea of NeoSynthesis is to assess both traditional and newly emerging technologies and approaches to land management and to integrate the best of both in ecosystem conservation, restoration, and sustainable land use. We are a group of friends with a shared vision seeking to heal the earth. NSRC was created by an act of parliament and is incorporated as an LLC in Sri Lanka and provides services in landscape design, watershed restoration, and regenerative agriculture.
Board of Directors
Dr. Kamal Melvani, Executive Director
Kamy is a landscape ecological design artist for livelihoods and the environment. She holds an MSc in Integrated Water Resource Management from the University of Peradeniya and a PhD focused on Valuing Forest Gardens in Sri Lanka from Charles Darwin University, Australia. She has been working throughout Sri Lanka for over 30 years to restore watersheds and native forests and enhance farmer livelihoods through regenerative agroforestry and agriculture. She has served as a consultant in Bangladesh, Mongolia, and Australia.
Dr. Jerry Moles, Chairman
Jerry is an expert in the dynamics of cross cultural knowledge facilitation. After earning his PhD from Stanford University, he spent decades as a college professor and consultant helping rural communities cultivate productive, income-generating and environmentally friendly agricultural businesses. In the 1980’s he pioneered student exchange programs in Sri Lanka in which American and Sri Lankan students participated to enhance cross cultural exchange. He works primarily in California and Appalachia, USA and in Sri Lanka. He is a co-founder of NSRC and of Grayson Landcare, Virginia.
Dr. Yvonne Everett, Professor Emerita, Environmental Science and Management, Cal Poly Humboldt University, Arcata, California, USA
A researcher with NSRC from the 1980’s on, Yvonne’s PhD dissertation from the University of California focused on household forest gardens’ influence on landscape level resilience in highland Sri Lanka. Her research focuses on collaborative processes for environmental resilience and place-based community livelihoods with an emphasis on forest and watershed restoration, biodiversity conservation, and community adaptation to climate change and wildfire. She is a board member of the Watershed Research and Training Center and Friends of the Dunes in northern California, USA.
Ms. Parveen Dassenaike
Ms. Parveen Dassenaike is an accomplished business person with many years of experience in the local and international travel industry.