Ceylon Chamber issues desk calendar with a focus on biodiversity
Ceylon Chamber issues desk calendar with a focus on biodiversity
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, the country’s premier business chamber, has issued a calendar for the year 2016, with a focus on Sri Lanka’s valuable biodiversity
The calendar consists of attractive pictures of Sri Lankan fauna such as the sambar and the Sri Lankan leopard, the latter being classified as an endangered species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
It also includes pictures of the little green bee-eater and the Indian star tortoise. An image of an old world species of monkey endemic to Sri Lanka and a picture of a butterfly, which can be found in abundance in the wet and intermediate zones of the island, also light up the calendar.
Developed in collaboration with Biodiversity Sri Lanka (previously the Sri Lanka Business and Biodiversity Platform), the calendar includes Public and Bank Holidays, Holidays coming under the Shop and Office Act, Charter Party Holidays and Chamber Holidays.
It also includes important contact details of the Business Service Units of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, for the convenience of the business community.
Biodiversity Sri Lanka is a collaborative initiative of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, IUCN and Dilmah Conservation, and is a tool to foster dialogue between the private sector and conservation agencies.
WNPS lecture: ‘Colombo wetlands under threat’
WNPS lecture: ‘Colombo wetlands under threat’
Prof. Weerakoon is currently attached to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The wetlands of Colombo are extremely important for the flood management of the commercial capital. They also support a rich variety of species, including many endemic and threatened species, despite it being a highly urbanised area. For this reason, several wetlands have been designated as protected areas. The Colombo wetlands also provide a suite of other ecosystem services such as recreation, provision of food, microclimate regulation, and educational opportunities, among others. They, however, are perhaps the most threatened wetlands in the country!
The Beddagana Biodiversity Park and the Thalawathugoda Wetland Park were established with the aim of promoting awareness and recreational opportunities for both local and foreigners alike. Many of the users of these recreational facilities, however, are oblivious of the richbiodiversity that exist in the Colombo wetlands. The aim of this presentation is to provide an overview of the biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by Colombo wetlands, the major threats to these wetlands and what can be done to improve the present status of them.
