The Pangolin Conservation Project operates based on the Yagirala Conservation Education Center of the Center for Sustainability, located in the Yagirala Forest Reserve; a tropical lowland rainforest in the south-west of Sri Lanka.
Yagirala Forest Reserve (Kalutara District) over the years has been a favorable habitat for M. crassicaudata with regular observations of direct and indirect evidence showing the presence of the species. However, at present, the species has become less prevalent in the area, most likely due to excessive hunting. A focal interview survey of local community and field observational records at the Yagirala Field Research Center, USJ, confirmed this trend in declining sightings. Hence, the pangolin conservation project attempts to estimate the distribution and abundance of M. crassicaudata in a tropical lowland forest and the research will generate invaluable information on abundance, ecology and behaviour of M. crassicaudata, which will prove vital in forming the conservation action plan for this species in the area and potentially across Sri Lanka.