Lanka’s central highlands win heritage battle

It was barely two weeks ago that the media reported a rare find that hit the headlines around the world. A tiny mammal that many feared was extinct - the Montane Slender Loris. But more significant news was to come – on July 31 came the announcement that the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka which is also the home of this rare animal has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site- recognition of its international importance. The area identified includes the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, the Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles Conservation Forest.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place (a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that is listed by UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance. The list is maintained by the International World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

The programme was founded with the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on November 16, 1972. Since then, 186 state parties have ratified the convention including Sri Lanka which became a member in 1980. The World Heritage list currently includes 911 properties in 149 countries around the world that the committee deems as having "outstanding universal value". The sites consist of 704 cultural sites, 180 with natural significance and 27 that have both. The Central Highlands of Sri Lanka has been inscribed as a natural site.

“The region is considered a super biodiversity hotspot,” noted the press release from UNESCO announcing the inclusion of Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands to the prestigious list. The declaration was announced by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee (WHC) at its 34th Session in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia. The other natural site to be listed was Papahanumokuakea in Hawaii, USA.

Deputy Minister of Environment Faiszer Musthapha who led the team of delegates to push Sri Lanka’s proposal that was evaluated along with many submissions by other countries, was jubilant. that Sri Lanka’s proposal was finally accepted unanimously. Convincing the committee was not an easy task, he told the Sunday Times.

The Central Highlands was initially proposed as a World Heritage site for both its cultural and natural value.

However there were technical difficulties in getting the site declared a ‘Mixed’ World Heritage site. The Sri Lankan team had to hence re-submit the proposal dropping the cultural tag, and push the case on the area’s natural importance alone. “This is also unique where the World Heritage Committee agreed to consider the proposal under a changed criterion,” said the Deputy Minister.

As per the UNESCO convention the site should be of universal value and meet at least one of ten selection criteria. This includes “to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.”

The criteria is stringent, but the Central Highlands’ natural wealth is indeed unique enough to justify its inclusion. "40-50% plants found in the Central Highlands are endemic to the island emphasizing this site’s importance,” pointed out Dr. Siril Wijesundara, Director General of Sri Lanka Botanical Gardens Departments. Dr. Wijesundara pointed out instances of some plants seen only in certain mountainous areas; for instance, the Hortonia ovalifolia can only be found in the Peak wilderness while a related species Hortonia floribunda is found only in Knuckles and Horton Plains.

The Central Highlands is also home to a variety of mammals including the Sambur, Leopard, primates and many small mammals. Like the Montane Slender Loris, the area is home to the Bear Monkey – the highland race of the endemic Purple-faced Leaf Monkey. Elephants once roamed these areas too before they were hunted down by the British. However, the Peak Wilderness still has a small herd of elephants.

The avi-fauna diversity in the region is also high with many endemics found only in the hill country like the Whistling Thrush, Bush Warbler, Yellow-eared Bulbul, Dull-blue Flycatcher, Sri Lanka White-eye and the Wood Pigeon.

The UNESCO declaration is also significant given that the Central Highlands is probably the most threatened ecosystem in the country. These sites – Horton Plains, Peak Wilderness and Knuckles are believed to have been a large forest area in centuries past. But under colonial rule, many of the pristine forests were felled.

Even at present the rapid expansion of vegetable gardens threatens the natural forests, with illicit gem mining, felling of trees etc being other direct human threats. Invasive alien species and the phenomenon of some trees mysteriously dying have worried environmentalists. Many of Sri Lanka’s major rivers too spring from here with the area being a major hydro catchment site.

The timely declaration of the Central Highlands as a UNESCO World Heritage site will hopefully result in much needed protection and conservation with its importance now receiving international attention.

Behind the scenes

The process of proposing the Central Highlands as a World Heritage site was a complex team effort. The Man & Biosphere Committee operating under the National Science Foundation initiated the process as far back as 2004 with the committee being chaired at that time by Lesley Wijesinghe. Secretary Anusha Amarasinghe had also put in enormous effort to see their work finally bear fruit.

A dossier prepared by Dr. Jini Dela with a team of subject experts helped to convince the World Heritage Committee to give a favourable decision to Sri Lanka too. The committee was also supported by Saroja Sirisena and the Environmental Ministry.

World Heritage sites in Sri Lanka

Cultural
Ancient City of Polonnaruwa (1982)
Ancient City of Sigiriya (1982)
Golden Temple of Dambulla (1991)
Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications (1988)
Sacred City of Anuradhapura (1982)
Sacred City of Kandy (1988)

Natural
Central Highlands of Sri Lanka (2010)
Sinharaja Forest Reserve (1988)

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100808/Plus/plus_01.html

Fairy Dandiya swims back from oblivion

A rare endemic fish species that has remained a mystery for 53 years will make it to Sri Lanka’s freshwater checklist after it was rediscovered in the streams of Athwelthota - by Malaka Rodrigo

The Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle (WCSG) research team had been busy surveying the fish in streams of Athwelthota in the first week of July hoping to find Martinstine’s Goby. The fish had been scientifically described based only on a single specimen collected from these pristine streams.

 

Luck though seemed not with them, until a researcher noticed a fish with different characteristics in their net. They quickly slipped it into a sliding tank for further observation. It looked similar to the Vateria Flower Rasbora (Hal Mal Dandiya) which is rather common in these streams, but its body depth was less than that of the Hal Mal Dandiya. It was about two cm long with the male having a distinctive iridescent copper-red upper part of the eye.

“We immediately realized this was a special fish,” said Madura de Silva, WCSG president. The research team’s first impression was that they had discovered a new fish. They shared the photos with fish experts of the country and the answer was soon found. Rohan Pethiyagoda – Lanka’s foremost expert on fish identified it as Meinken’s Fairy Rasbora (Rasboroides nigromarginata) that had been scientifically described in 1957.

German scientist H.Meinken had made this discovery based on some specimens he received through the ornamental fish trade. But although Meinken knew it was exported from Sri Lanka, he had no idea where exactly the original population was; hence the species had remained a mystery for 53 years.

This endemic fish was thus not included in the country’s recent Freshwater fish checklists. Now it it will be -making the tally 85 fish species. Sri Lanka has 44 endemic freshwater fish though this number is also under review. The new fish’s scientific Latin name Rasboroides nigromarginata reflects its other distinctive character of having a black margin on its fin. The Fairy Rasboras are endemic to south-western Sri Lanka where they inhabit streams associated with rainforest habitats.

Athwelthota has been a widely researched area for freshwater fish, but Meinken’s Fairy Rasbora escaped previous researchers’ watchful eyes. Pethiyagoda who had done a comprehensive freshwater fish study in late 1980 said, “Although I had collected fish at this very same location when writing my book, I missed this one,” adding “it is a remarkable discovery.”

The Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle is expected to include the Rasboraides nigromarginata on the list of strictly protected fishes considering its rarity. “We think Meinken’s Fairy Rasbora is restricted only to these streams in Athwelthota,” said Madura, highlighting the need to protect these freshwater sources conserving their habitats.

He fears the fish could also be a victim of over collection as Athwelthota streams are frequently raided by ornamental fish collectors who catch fish for export.

National Survey on Freshwater fish
The rediscovery of Meinken’s Fairy Rasbora is the fruit of the National Survey on Freshwater Fishes conducted by WCSG together with the Biodiversity Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment. The research team had already discovered several species of freshwater fishes that are new to science as part of this survey started last year.

Systematic Freshwater Fish study in Sri Lanka began as far back as 1830 by Pieter Bleekers. During this period of 170 years, nine major research studies were carried out disclosing the rich diversity of Sri Lanka’s freshwater fish. The last major research was done in late 1980 by Rohan Pethiyagoda bringing to light many more fresh water fishes. Assessment of the population status of each freshwater fish species in major river basins and assessment of the species that have not been recorded for a long time - more than 30 years are the main objectives of the present survey. Studying the river basins in the north and east is also one of the major objectives of the project.

The research team who made the discovery included Nadeeka Hapuarachchi, Sameera Akmeemana, Krishan Wewellwala, Indika Wijesekera and Lasith Siriwardena. They were thankful to the Nations Trust Bank whose funds helped support this research.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100815/Plus/plus_16.html

Explore biodiversity with Kids – Oceans of Life

This is the part 6 of ‘Explore Biodiversity with Kids’ series dedicated to the International Year of Biodiversity. Puncha & Panchi – the curious siblings explore biodiversity around them..

It was a Sunday evening. Their parents had taken Puncha and Panchie to the beach. They were enjoying building a sand castle on the beach, when Panchie spotted a strange hole in the sand.

“Aiya.. Aiya.. Have you seen that hole..? Look!” Panchie shouted to her busy brother. She had also

spotted some movements and started running toward it.

“There is also something in it Aiya,” Panchie yelled to hasten her brother. Even though there was nobody to see, the stranger had left some tiny footprints all over the sand. After a careful search, Puncha

managed to spot the stranger who made the footprints.

It was a tiny crab that was very similar to the colour of the sand. Puncha was curious, so he had a closer look. “Hey Panchie – the crab has ten feet,” he whispered.

Puzzled by what the kids were looking at, father too came up to them. “Yes, all the crabs are called decapods because they have 10 feet. The first two have developed as claws and are called Cheliped,” explained father. “Crabs are also invertebrates that do not have a backbone, but have a protective shield around the body called the exo-skeleton”.

“Look… there is a different crab,” Puncha pointed at another odd looking crab that had retracted the body into its shell. Father picked it up in his hand. “This is a Hermit crab, Puncha”, father identified the little fellow still hiding in the shell.

“Hermit crabs do not have a hard shell. So it finds an empty sea shell and transforms it into a mobile home carrying it on its back. When they feel in danger, Hermit crabs retract its whole body into the shell”, father explained the mysterious behaviour of the Hermit. “When grown, the Hermit crab discards its old shell and finds a new home – another spacious sea shell!”

Fascinated by the crabs found on the coast, the family kept on walking along the beach.
They came across a large log that had washed ashore last night. It was covered by Mussels attached tightly. There were hundreds of them. “Are they still alive Thaththa..?” Panchie questioned.

“Yes, they are still alive. Can you see the fleshy body part of this mollusc that lives in the sea..?” father asked, pointing to the mouth of the shells. These are also called Bivalves because they have a shell consisting of two asymmetrically rounded halves called valves.

They are mirror images of each other, joined at one edge by a flexible ligament called the hinge”, father said. With the help of Puncha and Panchie, father threw the log back into the sea, so that the mussels too could enjoy the sea.

They had also observed a vine like grass that spread around the sandy beach. Before questions came from the kids, father volunteered to explain what it was. “These are called Goat’s Foot or ‘Bim Thamburu’. Look at the shape of the leaves – it really looks similar to a Goat’s Foot,” father explained to the kids.

“Unlike other plants, these can grow under the effects of salt water. Goat’s Foot plants also help to keep the sand on the beach tight, so that other plants can start growing. Without these, it will take a longer time for vegetation to come out in the beaches”, father explained the importance of the plant.

The walk on the beach made both the kids thirsty, so they were thrilled to see an ice cream seller who came to the beach. Already there were a few kids, enjoying ice cream – but they had already thrown the polythene wrappers of the ice cream onto the beach.

“That’s bad,” commented father. “This polythene will be washed into the sea and it will not be good for the health of the oceans. Sometimes these might be eaten by the creatures of the oceans and they will also get sick. So never pollute the beaches or throw anything bad into the ocean,” father advised the kids.

Both Puncha and Panchie kept their wrappers safely, until they found a garbage bin to dump them.

The crab, mussels and Goat’s Foot plants are all parts of the coastal ecosystem, but there are more creatures that live in the oceans… Stay in touch with your friends – Puncha and Panchie for more news about them…

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100627/FunDay/fut_08.html published on FundayTimes – the Kids’ supplement issued with SundayTimes on 27.06.2010

Mangroves manhandled

Mangroves have been recognized as an important coastal ecosystem in Sri Lanka, but as the pressure of development grows more intense, the remaining patches of mangroves are being destroyed. Whose responsibility is it to protect them, asks Malaka Rodrigo


Douglas, a mangrove activist remembers how hard he tried to save a patch of mangroves in the Puttalam lagoon. As a group with political backing continued clearing the mangroves he went to the authorities seeking to halt the destruction.
The Police, the local Government Agent, Forest Department officers, all said it wasn’t their mandate to act. Some may have perhaps wondered why he was so bothered about some useless trees. But knowing the importance of mangroves, Douglas kept on fighting. Finally he found the correct authority - to his surprise that mangrove-rich land was under the purview of the Department of Transport.

Located adjacent to the Dutch Canal, during the colonial era when canals were used for transportation – this area too had been gazetted under the Transport Department. Even though the canals are no longer used for transportation, the ownership remained with them. “How come the fate of an important natural habitat like mangroves lies in the hands of the Department of Transportation?” asked an angry mangrove activist pointing out that we have only a handful of these important coastal habitats. “Not having an owning body or not having a guardian is just an encouragement for those who destroy the mangroves,” Douglas pointed out.

Prof. Mala Amarasinghe of the University of Kelaniya shared a similar experience. Working at NARA (National Aquatic Resources Agency) in the 1990s, she had tried to stop the destruction of a four-hectare mangrove patch in Kadolkele in Negombo. But those who had cleared the land for some commercial activity had the legal deeds and the environmentalists could only watch helplessly. Tracing back, Prof. Amarasinghe found that the land came under the ownership of Greater Colombo Economic Commission, GCEC, which has been assigned practically all state-owned "undeveloped" land for development.

Mangroves have not been considered worthy resources to be conserved, so they were taken as areas to be "developed," Prof. Amarasinghe points out. Until recently, even the Forest Department did not regard them as forests and in a conflict situation, no particular line agency would come forward due to the inadequacies of their jurisdiction.

The destruction continues. Niyas, a mangrove activist from Kalpitiya says that though the mangrove patches may look intact from a distance, inside, they have been cut down for various purposes. The destruction mostly happens on weekends and on holidays when the wildlife and forest department officers are not around. “Large scale mangrove destruction is always done by outsiders who are backed by the political powers,” says Karunasena, president of the Rekawa fishermen association.

A large area of mangrove in the Rekawa lagoon in the south coast had been cut down by outside parties and the authorities did not act fast enough to save them. There is a need to raise awareness further at the grass-root level, he says.

Jayampathy Samarakoon, a consultant on Mangroves addressing an IUCN forum recently likened mangroves to an orphan of nature in Sri Lanka’s coastal landscape. He pointed out that the mangrove has a parent – Mother Nature, but no guardian, at present, as the state does not take responsibility for this complex common pool resource. “Like orphans without guardians are frequently abused, the mangroves are also severely abused.” The scars are there for all to see and the repercussions in term of lagoon fishery collapse and flooding will soon follow, he warned.

The setting up of shrimp farms a decade ago devastated several mangrove lands. The inter-tidal zones where mangroves are abundant were seen as the best areas to set up prawn farms and mangroves were axed for the sake of the dollars prawn export was expected to bring to Sri Lanka. But shrimp farming collapsed and experts now found out the inter-tidal zone closer to the sea is not the best for prawn farming. Mangroves could have been saved, had there been proper advice at the inception.

The lack of clear ownership over most of the remaining lagoon ecosystems also poses other dangers. It is not only cutting of the mangroves, but also planting them. After the tsunami, mangroves had been projected as a good barrier against powerful sea waves as they have the ability to absorb the disruptive power of a wave. Millions of rupees were channelled to mangrove replanting projects, but how successful have they been?

“90% of the mangrove planting projects after the tsunami are a failure,” says Prof.L.P. Jayathissa of University of Ruhuna. Most of the planting has not been done with a scientific base, he feels. The selection of plants has to be done carefully so as not to disrupt the existing ecological balance, for example the species of mangroves in the wet zone does not suit the dry zone lagoons. Planting mangroves blocking the mouth of the lagoons, without proper scientific consultation could also cause sedimentation that causes the lagoons to fill- this could affect fishery. On the other hand, carefully planted mangroves can boost lagoon fishery, he adds.

The remaining mangrove forests in the North and East, which still is a considerable area will be under huge development pressure in this post war era. Plans are already being laid for shrimp farms and salterns that will axe a considerable portion of the remaining mangroves in these areas. The recent destruction of mangroves around Kokkilai lagoon which was also part of a sanctuary highlights this danger. The Kokkilai case also highlights that only having a guardian or a protector is not enough to save the mangroves. By the time the authorities act, parts of the mangrove have already been destroyed.

Under the project Green Dyke undertaken by University of Ruhuna Prof. Jayatissa organized a national symposium recently to share the latest findings on Sri Lankan researche on mangroves and bridge the gap between academia and grass roots activists. All highlighted the need to have a single body of experts to coordinate conservation of mangroves in Sri Lanka. One hopes the Mangrove Expert Committee being set up under the Ministry of Environment will truly make an impact in saving the remaining mangroves.

Mangroves in Sri Lanka

Mangroves are salt tolerant plants that grow in inter-tidal zones near the coast. These areas are exposed to air at low tide and submerged at high tide making the soil unstable and low in oxygen. But mangroves are well-adopted to such conditions and have a root system known as breathing roots that grow upwards above the soil surface to get the atmospheric oxygen.

Mangroves can extract fresh water from the saline water and some have the ability to remove excess salts through special salt glands on leaves. The mangrove embryos grow first through the seed coat, and then out through the fruit wall while still attached to the parent plant which enables them to grow easily in hostile conditions.

Mangroves in Sri Lanka are composed of 20 species of true mangroves and 24 species of mangrove associates which is 1/3 of all mangrove species in world. The most extensive mangroves occur in the Puttalam – Kalpitiya area and the estuaries of the Eastern province. Over-exploitation, habitat destruction, shrimp farms, pollution and invasive species threaten the remaining patches of mangroves in the island.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100613/Plus/plus_12.html

Meet the Moon Moth

When Gamini Mayadunne’s fellow worker Maduwanthi showed him a large winged insect she had caught from her garden in Gampola near the 7th Milepost on the 10th of May, thinking it was a butterfly, he knew this was something special. It had a wingspan of about 8 inches and had been resting on an Anoda – Custard apple tree. An amateur naturalist, Mayadunne – a photographer and the owner of “Upali Studio” in Kadugannawa realized it was no butterfly, but one of the largest moths in Sri Lanka.


Mayadunne got in touch with Tharanga Aluthwattha of Peradeniya University, whose research interest is the Lepidoptera species (butterflies, skippers and moths). The insect was identified as the Indian Moon Moth or Indian Luna Moth (Actias selene), usually a nocturnal creature. The Moon Moth has a very soft colouration of very pale green forewings with white at the base. It has four spots on its wings, perhaps to confuse predators who would love to take the large insect as their meal.

“Despite the bigger size, Moon Moths also have an interesting life cycle,” said Tharanga, who is studying Lankan moths for his postgraduate degree. The Luna Moths don’t eat at their last stage when they transform into a winged insect. In fact Moon Moths don’t even have a mouth and their sole purpose of living is to mate. The Mature Moon Moths only live for about a week.

“The one we found lived for nine days and laid about 200 eggs for three days,” said Tharanga. These eggs started hatching after another three days giving rise to tiny spiny caterpillars. The caterpillar of the Moon Moth feeds on a common woody plant locally known as ‘Hik’ (Lannea coromandelica).

Tharanga is now rearing caterpillars and studying their interesting life history. The caterpillars too like the winged insect are interesting to watch. They change colour on different larvae stages. According to literature, the Moon Moth Caterpillar goes through five different larvae stages and changes colour from reddish-brown to red to green. Tharanga raises these caterpillars in a small enclosure made especially for the ‘offspring’ of the Moon Moth found in Kadugannawa.

The Luna moth is considered rare and Tharanga recalls his first sighting on a field excursion to Algama Ella while he was still a schoolboy. “The flying insect reminded us of the Paradise Flycatcher (Sudu Redi Hora) with its long tail in flight. But to our surprise it sat on a rock for a while showing its beauty,” Tharanga recalls.

The Moon Moth belongs to the family Saturnidae which has both the largest moth in the world as well as the largest moth in Sri Lanka. The former is the Hercules Moth and the Atlas moth the largest one in Sri Lanka that can grow upto 12 inches.

Tharanga also showed us a photo of the Atlas Moth photographed as recently on January 10, 2010 resting on a parked truck beside the Colombo – Kandy road near Kegalle. He thinks the moths may have been attracted to the headlights or the heat of the engine.

Moths of Sri Lanka

According to past studies conducted before the 1900s, about 1915 different species of moths have been recorded from Sri Lanka. But the studies in the last century have increased the number. The ongoing revision of Sri Lankan hawk moths by Tharanga has seen the number change from 39 to some 50. Moths perform an important ecosystem service of pollination. Both Diurnal and Nocturnal moths are important pollinators, but the flowers that bloom at night usually with pale colours/ white and pleasant scent depend on nocturnal moths for pollination. However, the larvae of many micro moths are also considered pests of coconut, paddy, beans, cabbage and some fruit species as well. For example the Paddy leaf roller (“Kola hakulana dalambuwa”) and paddy stem borer (‘Puruk Panuwa’) that have already become a headache for farmers are caterpillars of moths.

Moths can be commonly seen in our gardens too, though often misidentified as butterflies. Moths usually have a thick and fuzzy body compared to the thin smooth body of butterflies. Moths hold their wings flat against their bodies when resting, but butterflies usually held their wings vertically. The ends of the antennae are thin or often feathery in moths while butterfly antenna ends with rounded clubs.

The Tiger moth is a common and attractive day-flying moth in our gardens. You may also have seen some big green “worm” in Wathusudda bushes. This is the caterpillar of the Oleander Hawk Moth which has a camouflage suit with a Kfir (aircraft) like body. If you walk across the grass in your garden you will see some small insects fly off and hide under grass blades or other leaves.

They may possibly be micro moths. Also observe how many different moths are attracted to light in your home, says the Moth expert asking the readers to open their eyes to these least studied creatures.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100606/Plus/plus_12.html published on 06.06.2010 on SundayTimes 

Corals under bleach attack

Marine scientists stress the need to monitor our reefs in the East Coast

The International Day of Biological Diversity falls next Saturday, May 22. With the UN’s latest Global Biodiversity Outlook report highlighting corals as the species most at risk, marine specialists are warning that corals in Sri Lanka face a new threat – Malaka Rodrigo reports

Have you taken a shower in the middle of the day these past few months and winced at the heat of the water gushing through in the first few minutes? The intense heat is not just affecting us, it is affecting corals – the delicate organisms in the sea that are exposed to the sun all day long.

“We have seen early signs of coral bleaching in the East Coast recently,” says Prasanna Weerakkodi, a marine environmentalist and regular diver who showed us a series of photos taken during a dive two weeks ago near Coral Island and Pigeon Island. The corals are pale in colour or have turned completely white. Some corals are deep purple and that too is an early sign of bleaching, he says, warning that about 50% – 60% of the corals in Pigeon Island and nearby Coral Island are partially bleached while about 5% are completely dead.

Coral reefs are known as rainforests of the ocean considering their rich biodiversity and are the breeding grounds of many fish. Corals in Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Galle, Unawatuna and Hikkaduwa are reportedly being affected according to other divers.
Coral bleaching occurs when coral polyps, the organisms that build corals, shed the algae (zooxanthellae) that gives them their colour. These tiny algae live in harmony with the corals and provide food for the host through the process of photosynthesis. Without this algae, the coral looks pale white and the coral polyps can be exposed to ultraviolet radiation. Without food, oxygen or cover from dangerous rays, the coral polyps in the reef will die a few weeks after they start getting paler. Our corals show signs of entering into the first stage of such a bleaching explains Mr. Weerakkodi.

Coral scientists believe warming waters are the most likely cause of these bleaching events. The Indian Ocean experienced its worst coral bleaching in 1998 due to a warm oceanic current. The Sea Surface Temperature (SST) of some parts of the Indian Ocean had gone up due to the La Nina climatic phenomenon at that time and resulted in warm oceanic currents killing pristine coral reefs in many parts of Sri Lanka, including the Hikkaduwa coral reef that is still to recover. However, the corals in the East Coast escaped the 1998 coral bleaching.

According to recent Sea Surface Temperature data, it is now around 32 C where the normal average temperature should be around 28 C. This increase could have triggered the bleaching. A regional warning of a possible coral bleaching has been issued. Sri Lankan marine biologists are also in touch with their Maldivian colleagues.

If the sea’s temperature goes down, or cool upswells come to the rescue, healthy corals also have the ability to recover. “It is too early to say whether this will develop into a full-scale coral bleaching event as happened in 1998. But it is important to monitor the phenomenon,” Mr. Weerakkodi pointed out.

Marine biologist for the National Aquatic Resources Research & Development Agency (NARA) Arjan Rajasuriya, recently reported some dying corals in reefs near Galle. After the severe bleaching of 1998, corals in many areas in Sri Lanka showed temporary bleaching during the months of April/May/June when temperatures are high. Some corals die, but others recover after the conditions return to normalcy. However, if the warm conditions prevail for long, it could be deadly. Arjan recalls the coral bleaching in 1998 had occurred during April/May and within a few weeks it sealed the fate of many coral reefs like those in Hikkaduwa.

Nishan Perera, another marine specialist, who was diving at Trincomalee a few weeks ago, verified the bleaching of corals and reported severe bleaching in the Dutch Bay area. This year the early part of the monsoon was a bit slack which might have contributed to this situation, he feels. “If conditions become normal soon it should not be a problem, but otherwise there can be some coral mortality,” he says.

Can anything be done? “Keeping the corals healthy is the only way to fight this global phenomenon,” says the NARA officer. Corals that are not healthy lose the ability to adapt to changes in their environment. Frequent fishing, pollution from land-based sources, dynamiting reefs, and sedimentation are other threats to the reef ecosystem which reduce their ability to withstand a catastrophe like bleaching.

Ocean Acidification is the latest threat added to this list. Acidification is a phenomenon linked to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide dissolved in the ocean reacts with the water to form carbonic acid. Many oceanic ecosystems such as coral reefs are adapted to a narrow range of pH levels and increases in these levels can be catastrophic.

Marine experts also say it is important to pay more attention to the corals in the East coast. “The West coast is experiencing the monsoon these days which will cool the seas a little, while regular cloud cover will also reduce the heat,” Arjan says. But the East coast is not so fortunate and is also experiencing new threats. Pollution and over-fishing were not problems earlier as the Eastern and Northern seas were restricted due to security reasons, but this is changing after the war and over-visitation is already causing problems to fragile marine national parks like Pigeon Island.

Save the wrecks
On May 2, the Sunday Times reported a racket involving the removal of scrap from ship wrecks off the Eastern seas. NARA’s Arjan Rajasuriya points out the wrecks are now jungles of coral and have become a spawning ground for fish.

Destroying them will destroy budding corals as well as harm the fisheries industry. “This is like killing the hen that lays the golden eggs,” said Arjan highlighting the value of these wrecks. They could even be a tourist attraction, so keep them intact, appeals the marine biologist.

Corals heading towards rapid extinction

The Global Biodiversity Outlook report backed by IUCN’s (International Union for Conservation of Nature) data shows coral species are heading most rapidly towards extinction, while Amphibians are on average the group most threatened.

According to the Red List Index shown in the graph, a value of 1.0 indicates that all species in a group would be considered as being of Least Concern (not expected to become extinct in the near future) and a value of 0 would indicate that all species in a group have become extinct.

Published on SundayTimes on 16.05.2010 http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100516/Plus/plus_12.html

Biodiversity in the National New Year

Puncha and Panchie had visited their village to see Achchie and Seeya for Avurudu. They got a chance to see nature’s Avurudu messengers…

The visit to the village to see Seeya and Achchie is the favourite Avurudu trip for both Puncha and Panchie. After getting the blessings from the elders, the siblings ran to the garden to use the Avurudu onchillawa (swing) tied to a large kadju tree.

Panchie sat on the swing and asked Aiya to give a push. While enjoying the swing, she heard a bird singing a lovely song.

“Khuu.. Khuu… ” Panchie

wondered what bird sang so beautifully.

“Aiyo Panchie, don’t you know even that..? It is a koha – the cuckoo bird which sings to welcome Avurudu. Can’t you remember a pair of them visiting our garden too..?”

“Hmm is it..??” Panchie was still doubtful. Puncha ran to their car to bring his binocular. It had taken a few

minutes for him to spot the bird singing behind a kadju branch.

“There it is..!!” Puncha managed to show the singing koha to Nangi. It was a glossy black bird. “Hmm.. But why are they singing only during the Avurudu season Aiya..?” Panchie asked. Even Puncha was not sure.. Whether the koha is a migratory bird that visits Sri Lanka only during a certain period of time from a different country had puzzled Puncha too.

But luckily Seeya came to his rescue…

“The Koha is a native bird in

Sri Lanka, but this is one of its

breeding seasons. The male koha (Asian Koel) sings to its mate during this Avurudu period to express his care,” explained Seeya.

“But where is his partner..?” Pancha tried to spot the female Koel.

Adjusting the specs, Seeya looked over the kadju tree. “There is the female Koel.” Seeya showed the bird to his grandchildren. The female had spots all over her body which looked different to the male.

“Show me their nest.. Show me.. Seeya,” Panchie was curious.

“Ha..ha.. Panchie, the koha doesn’t build a nest. Instead they lay eggs in the nest of a crow. While the male koha distracts the parent crows, mother koha secretly lays an egg in the crow’s nest. Crow parents feed this stranger, thinking it is their young until it grows big,” Seeya explained. “This is called Brood Parasitism”…

“Hmm.. Brood … what..?” Panchie found it difficult to pronounce.

“Look, the female koha is eating

something,” Puncha was the first, to spot something reddish in Koha’s beak.

“Ahh… ha.. Koha is eating a cashew fruit,” looking through the bino, Puncha said. The fruit looked so tasty.

“Do you also want a fruit ?” asked Seeya while plucking a low-hanging cashew apple. Avurudu period also is the Kadju puhulan season.

Panchi wanted the first bite. “Be careful, it is so juicy and can spoil your clothes,” Seeya warned.

“The seed of all the other fruits are inside, but why is Kadju different..?” The strange look of the Kadju

puhulam puzzled Puncha.

“Infact the kidney-shaped nut is the real seed of the Kadju puhulam. The cashew apple is just a false fruit which is a modified fruit stalk,” showing a tender fruit, Seeya said.

He had taken out a small pen knife and cut the cashew apple into a few pieces. Achchie brought a plate of salt and they start eating the pieces of cashew apple, applying salt.

“Hmm… it is really tasty Seeya,” Panchie wanted another piece. “Do you know it has lots of Vitamin C in it – as much as five times more than in an orange..? When we were young kids, there were lots of Kadju trees”. Seeya told them that eating Kadju was one of their favourite pastimes during the Avurudu season.

“Seeya.. Seeya..

I want to see an Erabadu flower,” Panchie also remembered another messenger of Avurudu.

“Come.. This way…” Seeya had taken both Aiya and Nangi towards the edge of the garden. “Here, this is Erabadu,” said Seeya showing a large tree with a thorny skin. The tree had bright red flowers similar to Tiger’s Claw.

“Erabadu is the real messenger of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year as the flower blooms in this period of time,” Seeya said. “Though it looks a useless tree, Erabadu flowers have nectar that birds like to feed on. Its tender leaves are also made as a curry in the villages.”

“Seeya, why can’t these nature symbols of Avurudu be seen in our area now..?” Panchie was sad she couldn’t get Erabadu or Kadju puhulam in her area.

“Hmm… yeah, Panchie – most of these trees were cut. But Kadju and Erabadu are Nature’s New Year

messengers together with the Asian Koel, so you need to keep in mind that these should be protected…” Taking the hands of Puncha and Panchie, Seeya started walking back to the house.


Published on 25.04.2010 on FundayTimes under 2010 Year of Biodiversity series http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100425/FunDay/fut_06.html