Do not panic, but be aware of stonefish when walking in shallow sea in Galle

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/231112/news/do-not-panic-but-be-aware-of-stonefish-when-walking-in-shallow-sea-538179.html

Recent reports of unsuspecting swimmers being stung by Stonefish in Galle, have raised concerns.

Stonefish are considered one of the most venomous fish in the sea. Senior lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Dr. Janaka Ruben, said the venom is not only painful, but more dangerously, a big dose could be fatal to humans. He said it was important to get medical assistance as soon as possible if you get stung by a stonefish.

Stonefish is a bottom-dwelling fish, usually found in the shallow sea in the Indian and Pacific oceans. The fish live around corals or rocks at the shallow sea bottom. They are not attractive like other marine fish. They are stocky and have a large head, mouth, small eyes, and rough skin covered with wart-like lumps.

Stonefish (c) Devid P. Robinson – Ocean Image Bank

The stonefish has a spine on its back that is attached to a venom sac, and these stiff spines are strong and sharp enough even to pierce a rubber slipper. Since this well-camouflaged fish blends with its surroundings and rests on the bottom without moving, someone could easily step on it, Dr.Ruben said.

He said if someone is stung in the sea, immediately take the victim out of the water and keep the foot in warm water. One must get medical treatment as early as possible.

A few individual stonefish in the shallow sea near the Galle lighthouse in the Fort were removed, but be aware if you are stepping into the sea, warns Dr.Ruben.

When someone steps on a stonefish, the spine injects an amount of venom proportional to the amount of pressure applied to it. The stonefish is also able to extend its sharp, specialised spines as an additional defence mechanism.

Marine biologist and author of “The Field Guide to Reef Fishes of Sri Lanka,” Arjan Rajasuriya, says there are several species in the family Scorpaenidae, and all are venomous. This is a family of fish that includes venomous fish such as scorpionfishes, lionfishes, stone fish. It is also possible that the victims were stung by Scorpaena sp., known as the Scorpion Fish, which is also a bottom dweller and a true Stonefish species, Mr. Rajasuriya told the Sunday Times.

The stonefish are widely distributed but not found in large numbers as they are solitary. Unless your eye is trained to spot them, you will not notice them as they are highly camouflaged, and most people will swim over them without even noticing, Mr.Rajasuriya said. You notice it only when it moves to avoid you when you get too close to it, the expert added.

scorpion-fish (c) Image by Franziska Stier from Pixabay

The lionfish is a more good-looking member of this same family and has proven to be a fatal attraction. Even Mr. Rajasuriya fell victim when his left-hand fingers got stung by a lionfish with six dorsal spines while he was doing studies in the 1970’s. “I nearly passed out for the excruciating pain; however, I recovered with pain killers,” he said.

Watch out for exhausted feathered migrants in your home gardens

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/231105/news/watch-out-for-exhausted-feathered-migrants-in-your-home-gardens-537692.html published on SundayTimes on 05.11.2023

This the season when our feathered winter visitors arrive in Sri Lanka, and ornithologists have urged the public to keep a lookout for them.

October is usually the month when the majority of migratory birds arrive. However, some of them are exhausted after their long flight.

The Indian Pitta (Pitta brachyura), known as Avichchiyain Sinhala, is a colourful migrant commonly found exhausted in home gardens during this period. In the last few weeks, a number of sightings of exhausted Indian Pitta were recorded, from Colombo and its suburbs.

The poor bird who didn’t make it: Indian Pitta found in Colombo Port. Pic by Megha Attanayake

One fell dead after flying straight into a glass door in a building in Colombo Port. “The bird was flying at a high speed and died after a few minutes of the impact,” Megha Attanayake, who found the bird, said.

In another incident, an exhausted Indian Pitta who was found in a home garden in Colombo 03 was handed over to the Wild Animal Rescue Centre in Attidiya, which is managed by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC). Sadly, attempts to save it failed, said veterinary surgeon Dr.Suhada Jayawardana.

Late October to early November is the time the Indian Pitta arrives here. Being a stocky bird, it can get exhausted by the continuous flight and can be found in home gardens, particularly in areas like Colombo, said Dr.Jayawardana. “Such a bird should be protected from dogs, cats, rats, crows, shikras, etc. Keep them in a dark, quiet, and warm place,” he said.

If it is too weak to fly, try giving it small amounts of low-concentrated glucose saline with Vitamin C if they are conscious, Dr. Jayawadana advised. If the bird is able to fly, release it as soon as possible in a safe environment, ornithologists urge.

The Attidiya rescue centre also received a Malayan Bittern (Gorsachius melanolophus) found in Colombo Port. This is another bird commonly found exhausted in home gardens, Dr.Jayawardana told the Sunday Times.

Meanwhile, bird lovers have reported sightings of rare migrants. Serious birdwatchers make it a point to observe birds, especially during the migratory period.

“We were at Mannar at the peak of the migration and observed many Booted eagles and a common buzzard flying from India to Sri Lanka,” Moditha Hiranya Kodikara Arachchi, an ardent birdwatcher, said. The team observed birds including the blue-throated flycatcher, Indian Pitta, orange-headed thrush, Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Indian Blue Robin, and Green Warbler. A Dunlin was also spotted in Vankalai, Mr.Kodikara Arachchi said.

About 2500 species of the 10,000 population of birds migrate due to reasons including climate change, the availability of food, and spending time in two different countries. Nearly half of the birds out of a total of around 500 bird species recorded in Sri Lanka are migratory. They start arriving in late August and stay in Sri Lanka until about March-April the following year, when they head back to their country’s of origin for breeding purposes.

The Indian Pitta arrives here late October to early November. Pic by Mohan Hathnapitiya

New mushroom species found in home gardens and university

Published on SundayTimes on 29.10.2023 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/231029/news/new-mushroom-species-found-in-home-gardens-and-university-537041.html

The rain has become a hassle for most Sri Lankans these days, but keep an eye on your garden as these damp conditions could wake up sleeping mushroom beauties.

“Sri Lanka has very good mushroom diversity, but as these are largely understudied, perhaps the mushroom in your garden too can be a species new to science,” says Dr Aseni Ediriweera, a scientist who studies mushrooms.

Dr Ediriweera made this comment as two mushroom species new to science that she discovered recently were not from wilderness or wetlands, but one from a home garden and another from the busy premises of the University of Ruhuna. The mushroom found in the University of Ruhuna was named Candolleomyces ruhunensis by the research team after the university, and the mushroom found in the home garden was named Termitomyces srilankensis.  

The Termitomyces srilankensis mushroom was first found by nature photographer Hemachandra Kularathne from his home garden in Kegalle. He shared the photos with Dr Ediriweera, whose further studies confirmed it is also a mushroom new to science. Quite interestingly this has been an edible mushroom that villagers commonly called ‘weli hathu’ and Mr Kularathne’s family would have enjoyed the delicacy of these endemic wild mushrooms for generations.

There are several species of mushrooms called ‘weli hathu’ which are called ‘Termite mushrooms’ in English. They grow near termite colonies. This has a scientific reason, as these mushrooms have a symbiotic mutually beneficial relationship with termites, says Dr Ediriweera. Termites feed on spores or the tiny seeds of mushrooms and as they use their faecal matter to build nests, they naturally provide a substrate for the mushroom to grow. During the rainy seasons, these fungi fruit as a response to adequate moisture and nitrogen levels in soils, Dr Ediriweera said.

Termitomyces srilankensis – the edible mushroom found in a home garden in Kegalle

There are several other varieties of edible wild mushrooms, and those who lived in a by-gone era knew how to distinguish wild mushrooms from the poisonous ones, but that traditional knowledge is mostly lost, said Prof Samantha Karunarathna, another Sri Lankan mushroom expert now at Thailand University.

“I have also noticed people have a lot of misleading folklore regarding edible/poisonous mushrooms, so the country urgently needs a proper mushroom guidebook,” Prof Karunarathna told the Sunday Times.  

Mushrooms are fungi that silently grow on moist soil, leaf litter or on decaying woods as tiny threadlike strands. These strands form colonies that are scientifically called mycelium. The familiar fleshy part that emerges from soil is the fruiting of this fungi colony. The mushroom produces millions of tiny particles called spores usually under its hood. When these spores land on a new place, they start creating a new fungi mycelium colony.

Not just mushrooms, Sri Lanka needs to enhance studies on fungi urgently, says Prof Karunarathna. The predicted number of fungal species in Sri Lanka is about 34,000, but only about 2,500 species are known. There are only new publications related to fungi published in recent years, so the scientific effort too, should be increased as some species might become extinct before being discovered due to climate change and many other factors, Prof Karunarathna added.

Compared to the past, we do not get enough mushrooms.

“This is mainly due to changes in soil biology and soil chemistry,” points out Dr Ediriweera.

Soil chemistry has drastically changed due to the addition of excessive amounts of chemicals. Chemicals change the composition of soil by changing the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus which are highly significant to mushrooms.

Perenniporiopsis srijayewardenepurana – the mushroom discovered in Kadawatha home garden

The microbial community supports the balance of ecosystems that is destroyed by chemical additions. Due to less diversity of soil microorganisms, the supportive mechanisms for the growth of mushrooms become weak, so their numbers also decrease, Dr Ediriweera said.

Meanwhile, to raise interest on mushroom studies, a workshop on mushroom identification and best practices in taking high quality mushroom photographs for undergraduates and post-graduates was recently held in the faculty of technology of the Rajarata University. Experts Stephen Axford and Catherine Marciniak from Planet Fungi which promotes fungi studies were in Sri Lanka. “Even a mobile phone can be used to photograph the fungi, and our goal was to teach these scientists how to take accurate, identifiable and aesthetically pleasing fungi photographs, especially using the camera on a phone,’’ the experts stated.

The latest addition to mushroom from a home garden is from Kadawatha.

A few weeks ago researcher Kasun Thambugala described another woody mushroom that grows on decaying timber and named it Perenniporiopsis srijayewardenepurana after the Sri Jayewardenepura University. Quite interestingly, Dr Thambugala first found this mushroom from his own home garden in Kadawatha, and is urging the public, too, to be more vigilant of the largely unexplored world of mushrooms and fungi.    

Step in to your home garden and observe the birds

Published on SundayTimes on 04.06.2023 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230604/news/step-in-to-your-home-garden-and-observe-the-birds-521712.html

Connect with nature by stepping into one’s own home gardens, is the message from the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL), as tomorrow (June 5) marks World Environment Day.

“Most home gardens in Sri Lanka still harbour a lot of biodiversity, but we do not pay enough attention,” says FOGSL president Prof Nihal Dayawansa, explaining the objectives of an initiative named Garden Birds and Biodiversity Watch 2023 (GBBW 2023).

At least a dozen birds can be observed in and around home gardens even in a congested city. “The focus of GBBW would be common birds, but even they can be threatened with time, so GBBW invites people to share their observations to initiate a citizen science programme,” Prof Dayawansa told the Sunday Times.W

In some instances, birds that once frequented a home garden may no longer be visiting that particular garden, and the population of those birds may have decreased. However, there could be other bird species that may be visiting that garden. Without proper observation and record keeping one cannot study such a trend. Scientists appear to focus more on studying birds that are endemic and threatened, with little emphasis being given to common birds, he pointed out.

Well known Ornithologist Prof Sarath Kotagama pointed out that citizen scientists and enthusiasts can extend a helping hand by collecting and classifying data, thus improving the scientific community’s research, especially on common birds. He cited successful examples of citizen science programmes in other countries such as the Christmas Bird Count that is ongoing for over 122 years and the Big Garden Birdwatch that has been conducted for 20 years,

Veteran environmental lawyer and ardent birdwatcher, Jagath Gunawardana says he has been observing his garden for more than 40 years continuously.  Mr Gunawardana’s home is located close to congested Nugegoda, but he still gets many birds visiting his garden. “Birds that were common decades ago such as the Oriental White-eye, Iora are now missing from my garden, but new additions that were not here earlier such as the White-bellied Drongo, Greater Coucal, Oriental Magpie-Robin show increased visitations,” he said.

Even a number of migratory birds such as the Paradise Flycatcher, Forest Wagtail, and Brown Flycatcher are frequent visitors he said. It was during his observations that Mr Gunawardana realised that the Asian Koel (Koha) this time had a short peak period in its bird call at the start of April, then faded away for awhile, but started to peak again towards the end of the month and continued throughout May. Likewise, there are lots of interesting things to observe in a home garden, Mr Gunawardana emphasised.

To celebrate global citizen science month in April, FOGSL organised the Sri Lanka Citizen Science Forum in collaboration with the Young Zoologists’ Association of Sri Lanka (YZA), Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle, Young Biologists’ Association (YBA), and Base for Enthusiasts of Environment Science and Zoology (BEEZ) with the aim of popularising the concept in Sri Lanka.

Pointing out that youngsters today are glued to electronic devices, Prof Dayawansa emphasised that GBBW 2023 would be a great opportunity to get them more connected with nature by just stepping into their gardens.

Anyone interested in registering for Garden Birds and Biodiversity Watch 2023 please see FOGSL website http://fogsl.cmb.ac.lk. 

A dansala that brought back the sweet and sour taste of Kirala fruit

Among the many dansal that were organised across the country to mark Vesakwas a special dansala held in Weheragampita, Matara, offering fresh kirala juice mostly unique to the southern part of the country.

The Kirala fruit grows in the marshes and the drink made from it is known to be very refreshing.

Though older generations are familiar with the taste, the present day generations have not even seen the fruit, said Malindu Gajadeera who organised the Kirala juice dansala with a team of villagers. He said the team had gone by boat along the Nilawala river banks and its streams and walked through muddy marshes in search of the fruits. “It wasn’t an easy task, but we wanted to do it to bring back memories of this forgotten fruit,” Mr.Gajadeera told the Sunday Times.Going in search of Kirala fruits along the Nilwala river banksThe Kirala fruit juice dansala

Kirala (Apple Mangrove) is a mangrove found in coastal wetlands. The tree grows up to 40 metres high and has a white flower with a reddish base. Kirala has a special rooting system that grows upward like spikes out of the mud and water to get atmospheric oxygen while its other roots remain submerged. These roots were used to seal bottles decades ago, popularly known as ‘kirala aba’. This mangrove is mainly found in East Africa, Asia, Australia and Western Pacific regions.

There are three species of Kirala found in Sri Lanka, said Prof. Siril Wijesundara, former Director General of the Botanical Gardens Department. The most common species, scientifically categorised as Sonneratia calceolar is found in Southern and Southwest Sri Lanka while S.apetala grows on the East coast and S.alba in Puttalam area, he said.

Kirala has both a sweet and sour taste. The Kirala drink is prepared the same way as wood apple juice by adding coconut milk and putting sugar and salt to taste. In Ayurveda, Kirala juice is believed to be a cooling drink.

Prof.Wijesundara pointed out that Kirala was an underutilised fruit found in Sri Lanka’s rich biodiversity and sadly like other mangrove plants, Kirala too was fast losing its habitat.

If you see a fluffy ball of feathers fallen somewhere, give it some TLC

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230402/news/if-you-see-a-fluffy-ball-of-feathers-fallen-somewhere-give-it-some-tlc-516056.html published on the SundayTimes on 02.04.2023

Monday, March 27, was the first day of a brand new school term for 5-A students of Sujatha Vidyalaya, in Matara and students rushed early to school But they were not the first to step into the freshly painted classroom. A pair of fluffy baby birds who were in a nest on a broken wall fan had also stepped out for the first time, hopping around marking a special day for them too.

The little girls were excited as this was the first time they had had such a close encounter with bird fledglings. Though the children did not do any harm, the baby birds who were trying to take their first flight got agitated and tried to fly away. One managed to fly to a nearby tree, but the other whose flight feathers were not so strong hid under a cupboard getting separated from the family.

The parent bulbul feeds its young in the classroom

However, Later in the day, the happy family with the two little ones were seen together in the school garden. The one that that was still finding it difficult to fly was seen getting a helping hand from its parents. “The bird was more cuddlesome than any of my toys, and I’m happy that it found its parents,” said an excited schoolgirl Dulithi Nethumsa.

The birds that were nesting in the Sujatha Vidyalaya 5-A class were the common Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) or ‘konda kurulla’. They usually build nests inside buildings, away from predators like hawks, snakes, monkeys etc that prey on eggs and fledglings.

Though these baby birds were lucky, there are many young birds who get lost or fall from nests, especially during this peak breeding season of many common garden birds.

“These days we find many baby birds — red-vented bulbul, brown-headed barbet, and the spotted dove being the most common,” says Dr.Suhada Jayawardane, a veterinary surgeon of the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s animal rehabilitation facility at Atthidiya.

According to the bird guide, ‘Sirilaka Kurullo’ by Prof.Sarath Kotagama, yellow-billed babbler (demalichcha), oriental magpie-robin (polkichcha), white-bellied drongo (kawda), brown-headed barbet (polos kottoruwa), long-billed sunbird (sutikka), mynah, greater coucal (ati kukula), collard scops owl (karapati kan bassa), white-throated kingfisher (pilihuduwa), tailor bird (battichcha) are some of the common garden birds that breed during this time of the year.

“If one finds a baby bird that has fallen the best thing to do is to place it on a nest or keep it in a nearby location so that it can reunite it with its parents,” says Prof.Kotagama. It is important to keep a watch on the bird from a distance to protect it from predators, the ornithologist says.

If the lost bird is unable to reunite with its parents then it needs care. If the bird looks weak, then the first thing to do is try to rehydrate it with an oral rehydration liquid such as ‘jeevani’,” says Dr.Jayawardena.

The baby bird lands close to the schoolgirls who were playing while mother bird keeps a watchful gaze Pic by Malaka Rodrigo

Rukmal Rathnayake, a biologist who is involved in the rehabilitation of animals says it is also important to try to identify the bird species as different birds have different kinds of diets. For example, the Oriole feeds mainly on worms while barbets mainly have a fruit diet. But the babbler can be omnivorous. ‘Samaposha’ mixed with water is a good supplement for omnivorous as well as frugivorous birds. The mealworms available as aquarium food, egg, or smashed beef, mixed with water can also be given to insectivorous or predatory birds, Mr. Rathnayake told the SundayTimes. If the bird is too small, use a syringe to feed it, the expert says.

It is not easy to identify the species especially if the fledglings are just a few days old. However observing the beak curves or the patterns of the claws can be useful to identify the species and experts are available to give guidance on social media. “However, you should not feed milk to the bird,” Mr.Rathnayake emphasised.

Since the nights maybe too cold for lost little birds it would be a good idea to put a light bulb into the enclosure where the little bird is being kept, Dr.Jayawardane said.

Sinharaja jumbo emerges; wildlife officers manage to avert incidents with villagers

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230326/news/sinharaja-jumbo-emerges-wildlife-officers-manage-to-avert-incidents-with-villagers-515451.html published on SundayTimes on 26.03.2023

‘Panu kota’, an elephant in Sinharaja forest made an appearance last week close to villages in Neluwa. The elephant was first spotted on March 13 in Kosmulla before it started making its way through the villages in an attempt to make an annual migratory route. The appearance of the elephant saw wildlife officers of the Sinharaja range scrambling to avert in confrontation with villagers.

Panu kota seen at the border of a tea estate and below, descending a tea estate in the heavy rain. Pix by Nisal Pubudu

Udawalawe range officers too supported the difficult mission, following the elephant day and night amidst heavy rains in leech-infested territories. After an operation that lasted five days wildlife officers succeeded in chasing the elephant back to the wilds, Pubudu Prasanna attached to the Sinharaja wildlife office said.

Sinharaja is reportedly home to two male elephants who make a round trip of the range through villages annually, from March to August, sometimes resulting in conflicts with villagers They usually head towards Morningside of Sinharaja and spend the remaining time of the year roaming inside the forest habitat.

These two elephants, believed to be siblings are in their fifties, say villages who remember them as calves along with their mother. The female elephant has not been spotted since the 90s, but these two elephants make an appearance from time to time.

Several attempts to translocate them did not materialise due to concerns raised by environmentalists who pointed out that the only two elephants in the reserve are important representations of the biodiversity that Sinharaja is renowned for,

In the past Sri Lanka’s wet zone had a healthy population of elephants but many were either hunted down by the British in colonial times or caught using kraals to be tamed and used for hard labour.

Turtle boom on southern coasts with rare leatherback nest in Matara

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230319/news/turtle-boom-on-the-southern-coasts-514998.html Published on SundayTimes on 19.03.2023

This year, the southern coasts of Sri Lanka saw a resurgence of turtles coming to nest. The birth of rare leatherback turtles in a protected area of the Matara beach this week was the high point of this phenomenon. From a clutch of about 80 eggs, 45 baby leatherback hatchlings emerged and were released to the sea.

This egg clutch was collected from Kamburugamuwa beach by the Wildlife Conservation Department’s Mirissa regional office about two months ago and protected at one of its hatcheries. It is usually the green turtle and olive ridley turtle that come to the southern beaches to lay eggs; the leatherback turtle is rare.

Race to the waves: Newborn leatherback turtles released soon after they were born on Friday.

“The egg clutches also rarely hatch properly, so we were thrilled to see a single baby leatherback turtle emerge on March 15, as this is a special occasion,” said Mirissa wildlife ranger M.P. Sanjeewa.

On Thursday evening, 30 baby leatherbacks emerged, and on Friday evening another 15 emerged and were released immediately, said Mr Sanjeewa.

The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) known in Sinhala as ‘dara kasbewa’ is the largest turtle in the world. It can grow up to 1.8 metres (5ft 11in) and weigh 500 kilograms. Unlike other turtles, it does not have a bony shell, instead its carapace is covered by oily flesh and flexible, leather-like skin which gave it the name. Adult leatherback turtles mainly feed on jellyfish.

Beaches like Rekawa, Kosgoda are famous for nesting turtles, but some beaches in Matara also are good turtle nesting sites.

The Mirissa wildlife office has been carrying out a turtle conservation project on beaches in Matara over the last decade. They have egg-protective pens on several beaches and release thousands of baby turtles into the sea every year.

The department continues to raid human egg poachers, but there are also other threats such as dogs, and rats also attack and dig the nests to eat the eggs.

“This year, there is a resurrection of nesting turtles on the Matara beaches,” Mr Sanjeewa told the Sunday Times. This year, about 80% of the nesting turtles are olive ridley turtles known as ‘batu kesbewa’ in Sinhala.

The Mirissa wildlife office collects about 1,500 to 2,000 eggs daily and itstwo main hatcheries are now full. The hatchery in Kamburugamuwa known as Lantern beach hatchery has about 20,000 eggs while the SK beach hatchery has about 10,000 eggs, Mr Sanjeewa said.  

Leatherbacks are now rare, and it is indeed a special occasion to have leatherbacks born on the southern coast, says Thushan Kapurusinghe, head of the Turtle Conservation Project (TCP). He said that on January 27, a leatherback turtle laid eggs on Panadura beach, but the nest was destroyed by human poachers.

Usually, it is the green turtles that lay eggs on southern beaches, but this season the olive ridleys bypassed the green turtles. Two other species, the hawksbill turtle and the loggerhead turtle, are also rare, so these species need to be protected. Sri Lanka needs to regulate turtle hatcheries as baby turtles need to be released as and when they are born since they need to have the energy to swim far off into the ocean to catch
ocean currents, Mr Kapurusinghe said.

Risks from crocs higher during mating season

Published on SundayTimes on 19.03.2023 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230319/news/risks-from-crocs-higher-during-mating-season-514965.html

Piladuwa is a hamlet in Matara close to where the famous poet ‘Gajaman Nona’ lived. Piladuwa ela flows through the village and crocodiles inhabit this stream. This stream links with the Nilwala River, so occasionally, oversized crocs have been observed. One such giant croc had been seen for several days and the villagers trapped it on the night of March 5. They then informed the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s Mirissa office. Officers relocated it.

Crocodile caught in Piladuwa. Pic by Krishan Jeewaka Jayaruk

“The crocodile captured was 14.5 ft long and a well-grown male salt-water crocodile,” said M P Sanjeewa, wildlife ranger, Mirissa regional office. As crocodiles are important to the ecosystem, the croc had been released upstream in the Nilwala. But Piladuwa residents were not pleased.

Mr Sanjeewa said the translocations are not a solution as males are territorial and when a croc is removed, another one takes over. There are reports that already another crocodile is roaming in the area, he said.

Malindu Gajaweera, a Matara Provincial Councillor said Piladuwa villagers are at risk from crocodiles, and is urging assistance.

Sri Lanka has two species of crocodile namely the mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) – ‘hala kimbula’ and the salt-water crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) ‘geta kimbula’. The Nilwala, Walawe, Gin, Kelani rivers and estuaries along the southern and western coasts are home to the salties. But the conflict with humans is worst in the Nilwala where several humans, as well as crocodiles, are killed annually.

Six months ago, a fisherman who stepped into the water from the Malimbada area was killed and only parts of his remains were found.

Some crocs end up being killed. One that had been killed was about 13.5 feet and its carcass was badly decayed. DWC officers used a backhoe to remove it from the water. Another croc died from wounds caused by the hook used to catch it, Mr Sanjeewa told the Sunday Times.

Crocodile in the sea near Ahangama. Pic courtesy DWC

Several weeks ago, a crocodile was captured from the sea off Ahangama. Another crocodile was frequently seen in the sea.

According to Hikkaduwa Wildlife office, they get several calls a week these days informing them of the presence of crocodiles in the sea.

Salties, as a rule, are solitary animals. Adult males dominate their territory and will not hesitate to kill an intruder. During the breeding season, mature males move in search of a female, said Dr Anslem De Silva, regional chairman of the crocodile specialists group of the IUCN, South Asia and Iran.

Breeding season is February-April and it corresponds with the recent activity, Dr De Silva told the Sunday Times.

Dr De Silva said that saltwater crocs survive at sea where they can excrete excess salt in the body from ‘salt glands’ (modified salivary glands). The coastal migration of crocs is also common where they migrate from one canal or river to another via the sea. This phenomenon is known, and publications over 100 years old have made references to this.

He said the sea route for crocs is safer considering the hindrances such as “houses, (road) traffic, long queues for gas, petrol, and worse, ‘udghoshana’’’.

Big males generally move further, even more than 100 kilometres sometimes when looking for females. Dr De Silva said saltwater crocs have been recorded several 100 km out to sea. On one occasion a saltie from Sri Lanka had swum to the Maldives. Also, a 9-foot saltie from Sri Lanka, which had got entangled in the nets of South Indian fishermen, is now in a Madras crocodile farm.

Dinal Samarasinghe, another herpetologist who has been surveying crocodiles of the Nilwala since 2015, says the river has a healthy crocodile population and they are found 40-50 kilometres upstream from the river mouth. He said human deaths had been caused largely because safety has been ignored.

Having Crocodile Excluding Enclosures (CEE) was the main method to ensure safety of people using rivers, Mr Samarasinghe said adding that on his regular surveys he noted that many CEEs upto Akuressa needed urgent maintenance.

Pioneering herpetologist Anslem leads regional panelDr Anslem De Silva who is considered the father of modern herpetology of Sri Lanka, was recently appointed as regional chair of the IUCN/SSC snake specialist group for South Asia.Dr De Silva studies reptiles, especially snakes, crocodiles, and amphibians. He has produced a record number of publications of over 400. He has also groomed a number of young herpetologists in the country and organised a number of herpetological events in Sri Lanka. He is the regional chair of the IUCN/SSC crocodile specialist group for South Asia.

Lanka hails historic UN deal to protect high seas resources

• Benefits to be shared in a free and equitable manner

Published on SundayTimes on 12.03.2023 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230312/news/lanka-hails-historic-un-deal-to-protect-high-seas-resources-514390.html

The ocean covers more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and each country is given the right to manage an area of oceans extending 200 nautical miles (about 370km) from the shore which is known as the ‘Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)’.

The rest of the oceans are called ‘High Seas’ or international waters. As all countries have the right to fish on the high seas, marine life there becomes particularly vulnerable to unchecked exploitation.

Over 90% of the sharks and ray species are threatened due to overfishing and the Marine Protected Areas proposed under the High Seas Treaty could provide a much needed lifeline for their survival. (c) Ocean Image Bank

According to the Global Red List of Threatened Species published by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), more than 1,550 of the 17,903 marine animals and plants assessed on the red list criteria are at risk of extinction.

However, now there is hope as countries reached an agreement on a crucial treaty on Saturday, March 4. The treaty’s official name is the “Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ)”. It now awaits adoption by UN member-states.

Sri Lanka has officially welcomed the agreement. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry says Sri Lanka welcomes the commitment of developed countries under the BBNJ agreement to fund capacity-building projects which will assist developing countries to undertake conservation measures.

The talks of managing the world’s high seas started in 2004 – almost two decades ago under the provisions of the Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Adopted in 1982, the UNCLOS, of which Sri Lanka is a signatory, came into force in 1994. The UNCLOS set a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities under national jurisdictions, introducing the concept of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

As marine biodiversity is mainly threatened due to overfishing and natural resources being over-exploited, the need to manage the ‘high seas’ or the areas beyond EEZ assumed greater importance, but UNCLOS does not provide a framework for areas beyond national jurisdiction.

The UN then established an intergovernmental conference on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). The conference was convened on six occasions. The marine conservationists had hoped for a final deal at last year’s conference, but the talks failed without an agreement.

The new agreement sets a framework for establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) on the high seas. This was absent in previous drafts. A new body (A UN Conference of Parties) will be empowered to establish these MPAs with the goal to establish a connected network of high-seas MPAs. This includes the development of a new body to consider an MPA management plan and establish associated measures.

“We act as if ocean resources are inexhaustible that will keep on providing an unlimited harvest of fish and can dump everything, but, ocean resources also need to be used sustainably, otherwise it will be like killing the goose that lays the golden egg,” says Prof. Terney Pradeep Kumara, of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences & Technology at the University of Ruhuna.

Many marine species are on the brink of extinction due to overfishing, so establishing large MPAs on high seas would benefit such species, Prof. Kumara said.

Sri Lanka has multiday boats that do fishing on the high seas and the Fisheries Ministry has a High Seas Fisheries Unit to manage such activities. The Ministry has issued about 2,674 High Seas fishing licences, but in reality, only around 1000 multiday boats conduct fishing in the High Seas, says Multiday Boat Owners Association president Tyron Mendis.

In case an MPA is set near Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, local fishermen may have an impact, but as it helps to increase fish stocks – such MPAs may also benefit them, Prof. Kumara said. However, Sri Lanka needs to assess the clauses of the agreement and should set local legislation in a manner that benefits the country, he said.

Other than providing fish, there are many other benefits from the ocean. Since any country can do research on the high seas, developed countries with their advanced technologies freely conduct research aimed at, among other things, finding genetic resources.

These genetic resources, for example, may be used to produce a pharmaceutical product and earn a colossal amount of revenue. To manage this, the high seas treaty calls for a fair sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources.

The treaty will balance the freedom of marine scientific research with fair and equitable sharing of benefits, states the High Seas Alliance (HSA), an international organisation that pushes for the protection of the high seas. The agreement contains obligations for States to share both non-monetary benefits — for example, access to samples and increased scientific cooperation — and monetary benefits, HSA says.

The treaty also set the need for Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for activities on the high seas, such as large-scale geoengineering projects, and high-seas aquaculture.

To benefit from the agreement in a fair and equitable manner, developing countries such as Sri Lanka focus on capacity building and transfer of technology, knowledge sharing, and cooperation to fulfill rights and responsibilities in a meaningful manner.

The Foreign Ministry also notes that Sri Lanka’s participation during the negotiations ensured that the conference took into account these concerns.

However, even though the text of this new treaty was agreed upon, its implementation will take years, says Daniel Fernando of the Blue Resources Trust (BRT). According to the UN process, the countries need to meet again to formally adopt the agreement and then keep it open for countries to sign the treaty.

The High Seas Treaty will only enter “into force” after 60 countries sign it and pass supporting legislation in their home countries. “But it is a big step forward in conserving marine biodiversity as there are a lot of unsustainable exploitations,” Mr. Fernando told the Sunday Times.

Humpback whales in the ocean. Image courtesy of Toby Matthews / OceanImageBank

After three days, lost leopard cub reunites with mother

Published on SundayTimes on 05.03.2023 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230305/news/after-three-days-lost-leopard-cub-reunites-with-mother-513527.html

February 26 was just another  day in Yullifield Estate in Hatton, when a worker in the Erroll division stepped into the toilet in his small backyard. He got the shock of his life on seeing a leopard cub inside. The estate management informed the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s (DWC) regional office of the find.

The wildlife officers from both Nallathanniya and Hakgala soon arrived at the scene. As there were lots of people gathered outside and there was no chance of the mother returning to the location during the daytime, the cub was carefully transported to the Randenigala wildlife veterinary unit.

Wildlife veterinarian Dr Akalanka Pinidiya believed that the cub was a 4-month-old healthy female and the best course of action would be to reunite the cub with its mother.The cub found inside the toiletThe cub in the cage and right, cub and mother reunited

Since the location the cub was found in was in the middle of a human settlement, it was believed that the mother would not visit the same area if there was too much activity. The DWC team therefore found a relatively quiet spot about 200 metres away from the initial location of the cub.

The team secured the cub in a small cage. The cage was unlocked but a small rock was placed to keep the door closed so that the cub couldn’t push open the door, but the mother could if it turned up.

Since the DWC team’ stationed themselves far away from the spot they set up camera traps to record what was going on. The camera captured a male leopard coming and inspecting the cage, but there was no sign of the mother.

The DWC team stayed on at the Yullifield Estate, but there was no sign of the mother on the second day either.

But on the third day, to everyone’s joy, the cub was not in the cage. When the DWC team checked the camera it showed the mother and cub reuniting.

“I was in tears seeing the cub reunite with her mother,” said Sankha Wanniarachchi of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) who was available for helping the reunit.

Net entangled whale shark rescued and released into ocean

Published on SundayTimes on 05.02.2023 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230205/news/net-entangled-whale-shark-rescued-and-released-into-ocean-510430.html

With the hope of getting a good catch, a group of fisherfolk gathered at Nawakkadu beach in Puttalam on Monday. They laid a large ma dela (seine fishing net) in the morning and began pulling on the ropes after some time.

The ma dela felt heavier than the other days, and this brought smiles to their faces, but their joy fell short after they discovered a large whale shark that was entangled in the net, making it heavier.

Whale shark meat does not have commercial demand, and it is prohibited to catch these creatures in Sri Lankan waters. The fisherfolk also felt sympathy for the whale shark that was struggling for its life while it was entangled in the ma dela so they tried to push it back into the ocean.

The giant fish was about 38 feet long and might have been more than 4000 kg heavy, so it was not an easy task for the fisherfolk.

As the fisherfolk’s efforts to push the whale shark back into the water failed, field officers at the Puttalam Wildlife Department office sought help from the Sri Lanka Navy. The Puttalam Navy camp sent a team to assist the distressed giant who had been beached for several hours. They secured a rope around the whale shark’s tail and with the assistance of water jets, pulled the creature towards deeper waters.

Fisherfolk tried to push the entangled whale shark back into the ocean. Pic by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe

While the rescue operation took several hours and the whale shark was in distress, Puttalam Wildlfie Department officers said the creature may have survived.

The area was an active fishing ground, which was visited by hundreds of fishing boats every day, but the fact that no whale shark carcass was found was a positive sign, the officers said.

Several incidents much like this one were annually reported in Sri Lanka, said Dr. Sisira Haputantri, Head of the Marine Biological Division at the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA).

A whale shark could grow up to 40 feet or more and could weigh around 20 tonnes. Whale sharks were around eight metres in length globally, but the gentle giants who swam in Sri Lankan waters were usually around six to seven metres in length, said Dr. Haputantri, adding that Sri Lanka banned catching whale sharks in 2015 as it was an endangered species.

Whale sharks were not uncommon in Sri Lankan territorial waters and stormy conditions in the ocean may push them toward shallow seas, said marine mammals expert Dr. Ranil Nanayakkara. Whale sharks were more common in the Gulf of Mannar and the Northern waters, but they could even be found in the sea close to Colombo, Dr. Nanayakkara said.

Blue whales were said to be the largest marine creatures, but as they were mammals and not fish, whale sharks were said to be the world’s largest fish. Scientifically classified as Rhincodon typus, the whale shark was called ‘mini muthu mora’ in Sinhala.

Whale sharks were actually a species of shark and not whales, but unlike other sharks, they did not have teeth and were filter feeders that fed mainly on plankton. They were gentle creatures that did not pose any danger to humans, and divers even swam with them.

“We do not know much about whale shark movements in our waters, so it is important to have a specific research programme,” said Dr. Nanayakkara, adding that the Maldives conducts a whale shark study programme.

The spots on a whale sharks body were unique to each creature, much like human fingerprints, making it easy for scientists to identify individual creatures. From 2009 to 2022, 647 individual whale sharks were identified in the Maldivian waters under the study programme.

President launches Climate Prosperity Plan aiming 26.53 billion USD

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/221113/news/president-launches-climate-prosperity-plan-aiming-26-53-billion-usd-501661.html published on SundayTimes on 13.11.2022

Sri Lanka has reiterated its call for climate compensation pointing out that his country is one of the worst affected by rising emissions from the industrialised world.

The call was made when President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressed the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) of the signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) which started on November 6 in the Egyptian city of Sharm al-Sheikh with the participation of about 100 heads of state. 

Mr. Wickremesinghe’s address came as Sri Lanka launched its Climate Prosperity Plan (CPP), outlining its national investment strategy from the near to long-term (current decade to mid-century perspective) for climate-proofing the nation and in doing so to secure Sri Lanka’s pathway to prosperity in a climate-insecure world.

Sri Lanka’s Climate Prosperity Plan is anchored around three major goals focused on energy, finance, and resilience. This plan proposes several renewable energy projects, and adaptation programmes, and would cost at least USD 26.53 billion through 2030. The plan aims to secure a large portion of this funding from international sources.

During his speech, Mr. Wickremesinghe also tabled his proposal for setting up the world’s first-ever international university on Climate Change in Sri Lanka with an ancillary institution in the Maldives. “This seat of learning can be a trans-disciplinary global centre for green and blue studies – for scientists, environmentalists, researchers, policymakers, development practitioners, and students the world over offering both short-term courses and postgraduate academic awards to build capabilities for mitigating and adapting to climate change,” Mr. Wickremesinghe told.

Participating in the Round Table discussion on “Food Security”; Mr. Wickremesinghe proposed a global meeting of agriculture ministers to evaluate the food requirements over the next two years.

Reports indicate that food prices on a global level have increased to unprecedented levels due to several reasons ranging from the Ukraine war and agriculture failures. This global food security round noted that it is essential to finalise this plan by February 2023 and should be implemented by the end of the first quarter of 2023, if not the damage caused to the political and social structures of countries will be irreparable.

The President also highlighted the urgent need of compiling a medium-term plan to ensure global food security At COP28.

President Wickremesinghe said he hoped the climate prosperity agenda would build confidence with creditors and investors that our country is on the road to recovery, a clean and green recovery.

As expected, one of the main aims of Mr. Wickremesinghe’s visit to this global event also seems to be an attempt at seeking aid to bail out cash-strapped Sri Lanka’s economy. The president also took the opportunity to meet World Bank President David Malpass and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. President Ranil Wickremesinghe also met the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres.

Delivering the opening remarks of COP27 on November 6, the UN Secretary-General said, “We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator as the emission of the greenhouse gases like Carbon dioxide keeps increasing.”

Climate Finance is expected to play an important role in the COP27 where parties are expected to review progress on the goal to channel US$100 billion a year to developing countries like Sri Lanka grappling with the climate crisis, a pledge that was made in 2009 at COP15 in Copenhagen. A new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) finds that the world will need more than US$300 billion a year by 2030 to deal with the effects of the climate crisis, which include droughts, rising seas, and more severe storms which Sri Lanka is pretty much vulnerable to.

Sri Lanka has enough plans and reports addressing various environmental issues, but we need to actually implement these to make them meaningful and else, all these would be meaningless, Hemantha Withanage, environmentalist of the Center of Environmental Justice (CEJ) told the Sunday Times.  In keeping with the Paris Agreement, each signatory nation must submit its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Sri Lanka submitted its NDCs last year.

However, CEJ filed a petition against the government and then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa alleging that Sri Lanka did not take actions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and even slashed some of the schemes such as encouraging roof-top solar power generation. The petition was recently taken up in the courts and the hearing is ongoing.

Lanka looking to make climate change an opportunity for low-carbon economy

• President to launch Sri Lanka’s Climate Prosperity Plan at COP27 in Egypt; proposes to establish International University on Climate Change  

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/221106/news/lanka-looking-to-make-climate-change-an-opportunity-for-low-carbon-economy-500859.html Published on SundayTimes on 06.11.2022

As a high-level UN summit on climate change starts today in Egypt, Sri Lanka and other climate-vulnerable countries will push for the need of having more funds for loss and damage caused by climate change impacts.

The country is also looking to make climate change an opportunity to develop technologies and gear towards a low-carbon economy, said Environment Ministry Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe, who is heading the official delegation representing Sri Lanka.

The climate summit will be attended by around 100 heads of state and Sri Lanka will be represented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe. He will address the summit, and will also launch Sri Lanka’s Climate Prosperity Plan.

This will detail Sri Lanka’s future action plan to achieve economic growth while having a low-carbon pathway, Dr. Jasinghe said.

Climate change, including long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns caused by increased greenhouse gas emissions, is seen as the worst challenge humanity faces in this century.

When scientists pointed out the risk, the world gathered at the 1992 Earth Summit to set up the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and address this issue.

The 198 signatory countries meet every year at the Conference of Parties where the 27th such gathering (COP27) is happening at Sharm al-Sheikh in Egypt from November 6 to 18.

Studies show that emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities have been responsible for roughly 1.1°C of global warming since 1850, and they also found that over the next 20 years, global temperatures were expected to reach or exceed 1.5°C of global warming. If no action was taken immediately, this would cause catastrophic and severe climate change, scientists warned.

“The main livelihoods of many Sri Lankans are agriculture, fishing, and tourism which are sectors that will be impacted by climate change. So we are a country that is severely vulnerable to climate change,” Dr. Jasinghe said.

A global climate risk review that analysed to what extent countries had been affected by the impact of weather-related disasters such as storms, floods and heat waves, ranked Sri Lanka 2nd in 2017 and 6th in 2018, in terms of vulnerability due to weather and climate-related disasters caused by global warming.

According to the study, rising sea levels, intense rainfall and floods, and long dry periods and droughts are only a few of the major issues Sri Lanka would face in the coming years.

Sri Lanka’s greenhouse gas emission was only 0.03%, which was negligible, but the country aimed to achieve a net zero level said Dr. Jasinghe.

Sri Lanka also signed the 2015 Paris Agreement where one of the clauses was the reduction of such emissions.

Under the Paris agreement, Sri Lanka released its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which was a climate action plan to cut emissions–including 4% unconditional and 10.5% conditional emission reduction commitments.

Last month, Japan signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Sri Lanka on the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) for Low-Carbon Growth Partnership. Under this programme, the Japanese Government and private sector would provide technical assistance and capital investments to implement climate-friendly mechanisms in Sri Lanka. These include projects in energy, industry, transport, waste, forestry, and agriculture for reducing GHG emissions which are to be set up soon, a statement from the President’s Office said.

Last month, President Wickremesinghe proposed to establish an International University on Climate Change in Sri Lanka with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to enable students from any country to engage in educational activities.

“It is heartening to see a President of this country taking serious note of climate change. While it is too early to comment or review the intentions, what is missing is a clear plan and strategy to show how Sri Lanka will take a critical path towards sustainability, which is the end objective of climate action,” said Former Ministerial Sustainable Development Advisor Uchita de Soyza, who is also a climate activist.

“Sri Lanka needs to adopt a long-term sustainability plan derived through proper data-based assessments feeding into a strategic foresight mechanism. We have conducted preliminary assessments through collection and analysis of data by hundreds of experts which is not used by ignorant and self-serving authorities, thus leaving the political hierarchy in the dark,” Mr. de Soyza said.

President Wickremesinghe recently appointed Ruwan Wijewardene as his climate change advisor, and he also appointed Norway’s former Environment Minister Eric Solheim as his international advisor on climate change-related matters.

“Since the economy and the environment are linked, a long-term plan will be presented to prevent increasing climate changes,”Mr. Wijewardene said, at the opening session of the Climate Finance conference held recently at Bangkok in Thailand.

COP27 would consist of leaders’ roundtables on November 7 and 8 and President Wickremesinghe would take part in the food security roundtable, Dr. Jasinghe said. As the changing climate would impact food yield and crop production, this is a timely topic for Sri Lanka, he added.

Loss and damage–a mechanism of compensation for vulnerable countries already suffering from climate-related extreme weather and weather-related disasters would also be a part of the summit’s formal agenda.

At last year’s COP26 in Glasgow, the United States and the European Union rejected calls for a fund to compensate such losses, but Sri Lanka would support such a mechanism in the global arena, Dr. Jasinghe said.

“There are some funds already available for adaptations, mitigation and to cover the damage under global climate change mechanisms. But to request money under these, a country needs to submit proper proposals with accurate technical data,” said Centre for Environmental Justice Spokesperson Hemantha Withanage.

“Sri Lanka needs to enhance this technical capacity as other countries such as India and Brazil are securing these funds,” Mr. Withanage added.

First time bird sightings in Kerawalapitiya as migratory season kicks off

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/221030/news/first-time-bird-sightings-in-kerawalapitiya-as-migratory-season-kicks-off-500253.html Published on SundayTimes on 30.10.2022

The migratory bird season this year, has taken off with the first-time sighting of a Black-Winged Pratincole (Glareola nordmanni), a ‘near-threatened’ migratory bird in Kerawalapitiya – a birding spot bordering Colombo. This bird has never been seen before in this area during the migratory season.

The rare bird was spotted and identified by Malika Jayathilake and his two sons who frequent this rich birding spot. The bird was first spotted by 17-year-old Navodha on October 17. A pair was spotted by the Jayathilake family, keen birders, who identified the pair as pratincoles – a bird with short legs and pointed wings.

But the bird was different from other pratincole species found in Sri Lanka, so the family made several visits to the site to observe the bird closely. It was 14-year-old Dinidu who was interested in comparing this bird’s distinctive features with pratincoles found across the world and concluded that what they had spotted in Kerawalapitiya was a Black-winged Pratincole.

Malika posted their images of the birds on social media and expert birders confirmed their identification, adding another bird to Sri Lanka’s check list.

The Black-winged Pratincole breeds in Europe and migrates to Africa during the European winter. This is also the first time that a Black-winged Pratincole has been recorded in a South Asian region.  

The Jayathilake family also spotted other firsts for the country, all from the Kerawalapitiya birding spot. A day before the Black-winged Pratincole sighting, the family observed an Ortolan Bunting, a first sighting in Sri Lanka. They had also spotted the Eastern Marsh Harrier, another rare migratory bird.

Located near Wattala bordering Colombo, Kerawalapitiya is a paradise for birds, says Malika Jayathilake. Over the past few years it has become a favourite spot for birders who have recorded sveral rare sightings. The Amur falcon, Easter marsh harrier, grey-necked bunting and the Mongolian short-toed lark are some of them.

Kerawalapitya is an entrance to Sri Lanka where birds migrate through the Western Flyway, and therefore attracts a higher number of rare migrants, says Prof.Sampath Senevirathne, an Ornithologist of the University of Colombo. The site is adjacent to the Kerawalapitiya garbage processing plant and the flies attract insectivorous birds.

Pix by Navodha Jayathilake

50 years of educating Lankan youth on nature and wildlife

The Young Zoologists’ Association celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend (October 22nd and 23rd) with its annual exhibition on wildlife arts and photography at the JDA Perera Gallery at Horton Place in Colombo 7. Published on SundayTimes on 23.10.2022 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/221023/news/50-years-of-educating-lankan-youth-on-nature-and-wildlife-499804.html

The exhibition will have more than 200 creations by young members of the association. The wildlife arts section is named ‘Kin Wild’ and the wildlife photography section is named ‘Young Eye on Nature’.  

Kin Wild–a selection of wildlife paintings and sketches is probably the longest running wildlife arts exhibition in the country.

The YZA established the ‘wildlife arts’ group in 1989 to assist talented wildlife artists. The first exhibition in 1990 and since then it was held as an annual event.

With the advent of digital photography, many have become wildlife photographers, but the association grooms its members to be ‘responsible wildlife photographers’ who try not to disturb the environment while taking their photos.

The YZA also have their photography group at the Dehiwala Zoological Garden and ‘Young Eye on Nature’ showcases the talents of the young photographers.

Since 1972, the Young Zoologists’ Association (YZA) has been Sri Lanka’s pioneer youth organisation on environmental education.

It was set up by former Zoo Director and renowned conservationist Lyn de Alwis, who saw a need to promote an interest in the study and conservation of nature and wildlife among young people.

The society meets every Sunday afternoon and members study wildlife and nature according to five study groups namely, birds, mammals, reptiles, aquatic life and flora. The YZA also has a junior arm which meets on Saturday mornings at the Dehiwala Zoo. Children between the age of 6 and 12 can become members.

Wildlife art for a cause

The organisation has been the first school for many who excel in the field of environmental science and conservation, said current YZA President Hasantha Wijethunga.

“Anyone with an interest in wildlife and nature between the age of 13 and 35 can become a member of the YZA” said Mr.Wijethunga.

In line with its 50th anniversary, YZA also opened two new branches; one at Pinnawala and the other at Ridiyagama Safari Park.

Marine turtles get a second chance while nets still pose risks

https://www.sundaytimes.lk/221016/news/marine-turtles-get-a-second-chance-while-nets-still-pose-risks-498881.html Published on SundayTimes on 16.10.2022

Fishing gear in Sri Lankan waters continues to pose dangers to marine turtles, and there is little help on shore for creatures that are seriously injured. The bycatch remains problematic. But, in the nearby Maldives, a group is helping to rescue and rehabilitate injured marine turtles and experts point out the importance of establishing a similar program in Sri Lanka.

Three types of fishing gear have been identified as risks to sea turtles — gill nets, prawn/shrimp trawls, and longlines. Gill nets account for the highest number of entanglements. There are instances where fishermen themselves cut the flippers to protect their nets.

A sailor untangles the fishing net from one of the 13 turtles found off Batticaloa c oast. Pix by Navy media

During a patrol on September 26, sailors of SLNS Samudura — once engaged in fighting terrorists — hauled in 13 turtles entangled in fishing nets about 10 nautical miles off Batticaloa. The creatures were later released.

Turtle expert Dr. Lalith Ekanayake of the Bio Conservation Society, who checked the images from that rescue, said they were Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea).

“These turtles were lucky. They were seen before any serious injury, but we sometimes find turtles that have suffered cuts to their flippers in their attempts to escape,” he said.

Fitting a satellite tracker to ‘Peggy’, a turtle rehabilitation success story. Photo: MarineSavers

A study by Prof. Rupika Rajakaruna of the University of Peradeniya about perceptions of fisherfolk and practices of turtle catches in 2020, found that most have experienced sea turtles being entangled in their fishing gear (78.5%), and that these were usually accidental (89.4%).

The study also found that fisherfolk involved in eating and/or selling turtle meat is significantly lower compared with the past. They are also not selling turtles for fear of the law but bycatch remains a problem.

Sugath Emmanuel, who heads a regional fisheries organisation in Kudawa, Kandakuliya in Kalpitiya said he recalled his father hunting sea turtles to sell the meat.

“But now, fisherfolks in our community are not bringing in any turtles as there are fines and the equipment can be confiscated,’’ he told the Sunday Times. “However, some do eat the meat of turtles caught in their nets. There are others who hand over injured turtles to wildlife officers.”

Regional veterinary surgeons of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) treat injured turtles.

Prof. Rajakaruna’s study found a large percentage of fisherfolk (61.4%) were unaware that sea turtles were air breathers. “This is important information as fisherfolk assume that the turtles caught in their nets are able to breathe underwater, and presumably leave entangled turtles in their fishing nets instead of removing them or reducing soak times,’’ Prof. Rajakaruna said.

Turtles can stay underwater for about two to five hours, but need to surface to breathe and they can die by suffocation when entangled in nets.

Dr. Suhada Jayawardane of The Wild Animal Rescue Centre in Aththidiya in Western Sri Lanka said the centre has received about 30 injured turtles this year.

A turtle trapped and killed in a ‘ghost net’. Photo: Umeed Mistry, Ocean Image Bank

“Most were entangled in fishing nets and got their flippers cut,’’ Dr. Jayawardane said. “If the cut is deep and infected, we sometimes must amputate the limbs. Turtles without one flipper can survive in the wild, but if many flippers are damaged, survival is difficult. Some turtles also have ‘buoyancy syndrome’, which makes diving impossible. Such turtles, too, must be taken care of.’’

Most regional wildlife offices don’t have facilities to care for injured turtles. So they give the animals to hatcheries. But, these facilities are also not adequate.

During a recent media workshop tour to the Maldives with the support of the Earth Journalism Network, the SundayTimes got a chance to observe turtle rehab.

MarineSavers, a conservation group active in the Maldives, rehabilitated over 450 turtles since 2010. Out of these, 75 of the animals had been Olive Ridley turtles and the rest consist of Green Turtles and Hawk’s Bill turtles, said Dr. Katrina Himpson, the veterinary surgeon of the turtle rescue and rehabilitation centre at the Four Seasons resort at the Landaa Giraavaru.

The vets also experiment with ‘environment enrichment devices’, such as floating pipes filled with food to stimulate foraging behaviour in the wild. According to MarineSavers, logs and other physical structures designed to provoke exploratory behaviours and provide tactile stimulation are also added to the turtle tanks.

Also being used is a structure made of pipes in the shape of a square with a rope around it. The turtles can manipulate it with their flippers, climb through it and rub their shells against it. MarineSavers has sent a few turtles to large aquariums in other countries.

‘Frisbee’; a turtle that lost both its front flippers interacting with a floating frame – a turtle toy or Habitat environment devices (c) ReefSavers

A turtle they rescued in 2014 and named ‘Peggy’ had lost a flipper and it had ‘buoyancy syndrome’. It could not dive. In 2016, it was sent to an aquarium in Belgium. After about two years, the turtle recovered its ability to dive. It was then airlifted to the Maldives and released in 2019.

Satellite-tagged data showed that ‘Peggy’ went all the way near India’s Odisha coast where thousands of Olive Ridley Turtles nest. Data also reveal that it swam in parallel to Sri Lanka’s south coast and then swam toward the deep seas somewhere near Batticaloa.

Dr. Ekanayake said in Kalpitiya the team will test a green LED light that had been experimented with elsewhere, to reduce bycatch. The LED is tied across gill nets. It is believed that turtles can see certain light wavelengths.

It was developed by John Wang, an ecologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the USA (NOAA). Test results show up to 60% reduction in turtle bycatch. An Indonesian pilot project has reported a 20% boost in the target catch according to a World Wildlife Fund report.

This story was produced with support from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network  

Sri Lankan fishermen world’s biggest manta killers feeding Chinese demand

Published on SundayTimes on 01.10.2022 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/221002/news/sri-lankan-fishermen-worlds-biggest-manta-killers-feeding-chinese-demand-497490.html

Sri Lanka holds the dubious record of killing the most mantas and devil rays compared with all global and large industrial purse seine fisheries combined.

A survey of local fish markets from 2005 to 2020 also has revealed that this level of manta fishing is not sustainable.

According to the Manta Trust, manta and devil rays, known collectively as mobulids, are some of the most beautiful, fascinating, and enigmatic creatures in the tropical oceans. These fish are close relatives of sharks and have a diet of plankton that they filter feed while on the move.

Like the sharks, these mobulid rays have a very low reproductive rate, where some become sexually mature in about 10 years and then the female gives birth to a single pup after a gestation period of about a year.

A giant manta ray swims like a flying saucer. Pix by Simon Hilbourne/ Manta Trust

“Hundreds of mobulid rays are caught on a daily basis in our waters, so one does not need to be a genius to conclude they would soon be overfished,” says Daniel Fernando, a marine biologist of the Blue Resources Trust.

Mr. Fernando and the team surveyed fish landing sites over nine years between 2011 and 2020, covering 38 landing sites in Sri Lanka. They collected data on catch numbers, body sizes, sex, and maturity status for five mobulid species. The data revealed that giant devil ray (mobula mobular) is being fished at rates far above the species’ population growth rate, and the average sizes of all mobulids in the fishery except for giant oceanic mantas are declining.

As per a report on the Global Threat to Manta and Mubula rays, out of the 3,409 manta rays captured by 13 countries a year during the study, Sri Lanka’s fishing fleet caught 1,055; or one-third. But, when considering all the mobula rays, the total global catch recorded a year was 100,053; while the Sri Lankan fishing fleet was responsible for 56,552; accounting for nearly 60% of the global catch.

International demand over the last decade for mobulid gill plates — the cartilaginous structures that filter plankton from the water column — for traditional Chinese medicine has directly led to an increase in fishing and retention of these species in bycatch fisheries. In Sri Lanka, they often get entangled in gill nets.

“Earlier, we were not interested in these rays and sometimes throw them away, as ray flesh is low value. And we prefer to keep space in our boats for the more profitable tuna,” said Mr Roy Thomas, a fisherman in Negombo who works in a multi-day boat. “But, now, these rays earn more money due to the demand for gill plates, so we bring them in.’’ There are some regular buyers and they remove the gill plates to clean and process for export, he said.

Mr. Fernando is also an associate director of Manta Trust, a global organisation dedicated to the conservation of mantas and other mobulid. The trust has a flagship project in Maldives, where the scientists have made the manta population the most studied in the world. The Maldives has several sites where the reef manta ray (mobula alfredi) visits seasonally depending on plankton availability.

In Maldives, speeding by tourists who come to watch mantas is estimated at US$8.1 million a year in direct revenue, based on a study in 2010. This amounts to spending of US$500 to US$4,000 a week.

“When you kill and sell a manta, it would be a one-off transaction, but if such tourism can be built, then Sri Lanka, too, may have the potential to earn dollars,” says Mr. Fernando.

Mantas are butchered in Sri Lanka as they are not a protected species

But, so far there are no recorded sites of manta rays gathering in Sri Lankan waters. Local waters seem to be an important nursery ground. A large number of mantas caught in Sri Lankan waters are juveniles, the marine biologist said.

The species found in the Sri Lankan territorial waters is the giant oceanic manta ray (mobula birostris) which is now globally ‘endangered’, Mr. Fernando said.

It can grow up to 9 metres (30 feet) maximum and to a disc size of 7m (23 ft) across with a weight of about 3,000 kilos. But, those caught in Sri Lankan waters is less than half this size.

Simon Hilbourne, a British marine scientist of the Manta Trust, studies the giant oceanic manta rays in the Maldives and Sri Lanka. He says more research is needed.

“The home range of some populations have been found to be around 100 kilometres, which is not a long distance in terms of oceanic measures,”Mr. Hilbourne said.

Research by the trust also found a possible breeding aggregation of the giant oceanic mantas near the Maldivian island of Fuvahmulah.

“But, most of the time we record different individuals at the site and the only way to unravel the movements of these giants is satellite tagging,” Mr Hilbourne told the Sunday Times. He said the possibility of tagging these rays in Sri Lankan waters too was considered, but as it would be different to locate them, the idea was dropped.

In the Maldives, the reef mantas were tagged, so their regular visits are recorded. The photo ID using spot patterns, scars, and other special markings can be used to identify individuals, says Ms Joanna Harris who studies the mantas of Maldives.

Climate change could also pose a threat to the mantas as it would reduce and disrupt the drifting patterns of oceanic planktons and also destroy the coral reefs that reef mantas are using as cleaning stations, said Ms. Harris.

A large number of juveniles are landed in the fish markets and makes up the largest number of juveniles recorded anywhere in the world so far.

It is highly likely that there is a nursery ground around Sri Lanka. So it is of utmost importance to protect them. In Sri Lanka, none of these mobulid rays is protected, but international treaties such as the Convention on Migratory Species and the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), apply.

The giant manta ray is in the CITES list of Appendix II, so special permission is needed for export.

The Giant Manta Ray is in the CITES list of Appendix II, according to which the country needs to give special permission to export them.

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Director General Susantha Kahawatta said the department issues permits for gill raker exports after consultation with CITES.

In Sri Lanka, among the five species of sharks that are illegal to be caught are thresher sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks, and whale sharks. Mr. Kahawatte said the law is being enforced by the Navy, the Coast guard, and the department’s fisheries inspectors. “They take action, whenever our scientific arm makes recommendations on severely depleting populations of mobula rays,” the DG told the Sunday Times.

The government’s marine research agency, the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) conducted small-scale research in 2018 on Manta Rays. Of the 46 specimens observed, 95% are juveniles or sub-adults, indicating the nursery grounds might be located close to Sri Lanka’s fishing grounds, said Dr. Chintha Perera, the leading scientist of the research. The research also recommends releasing into the sea live manta rays entangled in fishing gear.

NARA research also found few reef mantas too in fish markets. As there are no records of reef mantas in Sri Lankan waters, it is likely the Sri Lankan fishers caught them illegally in areas such as Chagos, a British Indian Ocean Territory near the Maldives, he said.

On September 27, the World Tourism Day was celebrated under the theme ‘Rethinking Tourism’. Perhaps it is time for Sri Lanka to think more about marine tourism and not empty the oceans of the charismatic species in our waters like the mobulid rays that have more potential to earn dollars, Mr Fernando told the Sunday Times.

This story was produced with
support from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network