Wildlife Department nurses polythene-ingested elephant to heath
The Giritale Wildlife Department nursed to health an elephant that was found to have consumed vast amounts of polythene.
The elephant was found lying in a swamp at Manampitiya, Nelumwila on January 29.
The Giritale Wildlife Department said the elephant was moved out of the swamp with a backhoe and treated with 30 bottles of saline.
Giritale Wildlife Department veterinary surgeon said the elephant had discharged 40 kilogrammes of polythene, after being given 40 litres of water and 3 litres of coconut oil.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2017/02/07/local/106999/wildlife-department-nurses-polythene-ingested-elephant-heath?page=7
Blue Mountain Group reinforces its commitment to the planet with new national reforestation project – ‘Transforming Sri Lanka towards a greener tomorrow’
The Blue Mountain Group (BMG) recently reiterated its commitment to protecting the planet and spearheading national reforestation efforts by initiatingthe ‘Transforming Sri Lanka towards a greener tomorrow’ project.Conceptualized by BMG as part of its long-term efforts to be a responsible corporate citizen, the project will be conducted in partnership with the Forest Department of Sri Lanka to ensure the reforestation of 125 acres of land in Wilpotha over the next ten years.
The official partnership agreement between both parties was signed by Dr.Hiran Hettiarachchi– Group Chairman, Blue Mountain Group and S.A.A Sathurusinghe– Director General of the Forest Department, in the presence of Government officials, the management and staff from both organizations and representatives from the planting zones.
Commenting on the partnership, Dr.Hiran Hettiarachchi (MBBS-Colombo & MBA-Australia), Group Chairman of BlueMountain said: “The Blue Mountain Group is the first private-sector company in the country to partner with the Forest Department to implement an environmental project of this scale and magnitude. The project was conceptualizedto assist and support national reforestation efforts and is a non-commercial initiative that we hope will to protect our planet and the environment. We are honoured to join hands with the Forest Department, to make our dream for a greener Sri Lanka a reality.”
‘Transforming Sri Lanka towards a greener tomorrow’ was established in Wilpotha (situated in the Puttalam district), in keeping with national forest enhancement strategies. The project will help to safeguard some of Sri Lanka’s endangered forest sites, and in doing so will protect the rich biodiversity of flora and fauna that these unique habitats support. The project will ensure the removal of invasive plants and will facilitate the planting of a variety of native plant species, especially those that have been identified as endangered. The project team will also attempt to counter deforestation that is caused by illegal felling, fires and farming – all of which cause soil erosion and have a detrimental impact on these forest areas and the environment at large.
The project will have a multitude of environmental benefits whilst ensuring effective biodiversity conservation and habitat management on a large scale in key forest zones. The initiative will also support eco-tourism, and will attract more travellers to the Wilpotha Reserve, who will be able to see a rich variety of plants, wildlife and birds due to the continued protection of their natural habitat.
Additionally, the project will also play a significant role in contributing to national carbon sequestration efforts, which are part of a long-term plan to reduce the country’s overall carbon footprint.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Blue-Mountain-Group-reinforces-its-commitment-to-the-planet-with-new-national-reforestation-project-Transforming-Sri-Lanka-towards-a-greener-tomorrow–125197.html
Nine fishermen arrested for killing 12 dolphins
Nine fishermen were arrested by the Trincomalee Anti-Corruption Unit yesterday for killing 12 dolphins, Police said. The suspects, residents of Trincomalee, were arrested with two boats following a tip off. Police said they had received information that several dolphins were being held captive at a buoy in the inner Trincomalee harbor. The suspects, between the ages of 44 and 76, were arrested with fishing equipment and are to be produced to the Trincomalee Magistrate Court today. See more
Source – 09/03/2017, Dailymirror,See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Nine-fishermen-arrested-for-killing-dolphins-125196.html#sthash.OHcSxoiR.dpuf
700 to 1,000 leopards in Sri Lanka; researcher
There are about 1,000 leopards across Sri Lanka and they are a keystone species in ecological parlance of the country, a wildlife researcher has said.
An article published on the website of multimedia publication ‘Motherboard’ under the title ‘Saving Leopards Is Hard, Especially with All the Landmines’ by Smriti Daniel, said leopards are more important to the ecosystem than their numbers would suggest.
Wildlife researcher Anjali Watson has said that leopards are an “umbrella species” – because they are wide ranging animals, protecting them would mean protecting many others in the same territories.
Source – 04/01/2017, Dailymirror, See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/-to-leopards-in-Sri-Lanka-researcher-121683.html#sthash.rpmtwzhK.dpuf
‘Displaced’ wild elephants evicted from Hambantota Port
Officers from the Hambantota Office of Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) launched an operation on Monday evening to evict a herd of wild elephants that had entered the premises of the Hambantota Magampura Port.
The operation lasted from 5.30pm to about 9.00pm and DWC officers were able to chase away some 15 elephants who had made their way into the port.
Officials from the China Harbor Engineering Corporation had told the DWC that about 40 wild elephants were roaming around the port premises and were causing damage to property on a daily basis.
Environmentalists however, point out that the main reason for such incidents is the continued reluctance on the part of officials to declare a separate reserve for wild elephants in the Hambantota region who have become displaced due to the construction of the Magampura Port and the Mattala Airport. They note that the former regime ignored the recommendation to declare an elephant reserve despite it being explicitly stated in the Enviornmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) of the two projects. The tragedy is that the present Government is adopting the same approach as the former, they notee. This has resulted in about 350 wild elephants in the region being evicted from their natural habit which has been taken over for development work.
By Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi in Hambantota
Source – 08/03/2017 , Times Online, See more at – http://www.sundaytimes.lk/article/1018158/displaced-wild-elephants-evicted-from-hambantota-port
Netherlands assists SL to improve horticultural industry
The Netherlands has the knowledge, technology and capacities to support Sri Lanka with establishing an efficient and professional horticultural industry.
Over the years agriculture has become a priority for the Dutch Embassy in Colombo. An agricultural division has been established at the embassy and many activities have been organised to strengthen the agricultural cooperation between the two countries, Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry revealed.
The Netherlands is the world`s leading supplier of flowers, plants and trees. The Dutch horticultural sector is a global trendsetter, supplying markets all over the world, as well as being a leading innovator in greenhouse technology.
The Netherlands team in Colombo is willing to assist Sri Lanka whenever it requires more information about specific sectors or doing business in Sri Lanka, foreign ministry official said.
Netherlands Embassy in Colombo has prepared a Business Opportunity Report, to provide further insight into the opportunities in the horticultural sector and specific information for companies that are interested in business opportunities in this sector in Sri Lanka.
Also the launch of the new direct KLM route between Amsterdam and Colombo will make it easier to transport horticultural products to both countries.
Source – 07/03/2017,Sri Lanka Mirror, See more at – http://srilankamirror.com/news/2189-netherlands-assists-sl-to-improve-horticultural-industry
