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| Sunday, 22 May 2005 |
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Features |  |
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Biological diversity is not a luxury by Lionel Wijesiri The annual International Biological Diversity Day 2005 will be globally celebrated today. The focus this year is on the importance of biodiversity as the Life Insurance for our Changing World, where the growing human populations and expanding consumptions are placing great pressure on biological diversity.
We always consider that the Earth is ours. Surely, it is not. There are many other living things on this planet and the Earth also belongs to them. Besides, there are trees and plants, which also have life. All these variety of plants and animal species are termed biodiversity of biological diversity. Biodiversity is essential for sustaining human life. Trees, plants and animals provide useful products and services for mankind. They also provide important environmental services. Global biodiversity is changing at an alarming rate over the past three decades. The main causes are deforestation, over-hunting and over-exploitation. According to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red Lists of species considered to be threatened with extinction, about 24 per cent of mammal and 12 per cent of bird species are currently regarded as globally threatened. It has also been estimated that over the next 100 years the extinction rate of vertebrate groups could be as high as 15-20 per cent. The loss of biodiversity has become a major environmental issue in recent decades with detrimental impacts on all life-support ecosystems. In order to address the situation, a number of international conventions have been developed for conservation of biodiversity. Sri Lankan Perspective We, in Sri Lanka, are really fortunate to own a country, which is one of the most biologically diverse countries, with a large portion of its species found nowhere else in the world. A wide variety of climate and topographic conditions have resulted in the diversity of natural eco-systems. We have forests, grasslands, fresh and brackish water wetland and marine wetland which have contributed to thousands of indigenous species. Yet, our biodiversity, too, is being destroyed at a fast rate, perhaps reaching an irreversible trend. Sooner rather than later, many of our plants and animals may be as dead as the proverbial dodo-the large, flightless bird that is now extinct. Conservation International (CI) has described Sri Lanka as the 7th of the 25 'bio-diversity hotspots' in the world-a record that does not speak well of our environmental conservation program and the public's apathy to environmental concerns. (Hotspots are areas with the least number of species existing, the least number of species found in an exclusive ecosystem and have an alarmingly high degree of threat against the existing species). The 25-biodiversity hotspots contain 44 per cent of all plant species and 35 per cent of all terrestrial vertebrate species in only 1.4 per cent of the planet's land area. The diversity of Sri Lanka's fauna and flora is both rich and unique. Within the confines of the country 628 species of terrestrial vertebrates are found while its inland and territorial waters have over 1000 species of freshwater and marine fishes. Some of these species are endemic to Sri Lanka. See following table: There are also 'relict' fauna of genera and species, which date back to geological times. Kabaragoya is the largest representative of the relict fauna and is found in wet rural areas. The mountain lizard is another. The National Herbarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens Peradeniya currently houses over 100,000 species of Sri Lankan flora. The indigenous flora of Sri Lanka has about 7500 species, a large percentage of which is endemic. Of the 3360 flowering plants about 830 are known to be endemic. And, of those 830 plants, 230 are considered to be threatened. The country's marine and aquatic life are equally endangered. Our coral reefs, one of the most diverse in the world, may not be around for long. With the impending loss of the coral reefs, 10 to 15 per cent of the total marine fisheries' production for human consumption will be lost and adversely affecting the livelihood of thousands of fishing families. The increasing population has seriously stressed the country's biodiversity and have put tremendous pressure on the remaining natural resources. Sri Lanka still has about 22 per cent of dense forest cover of which about 12 per cent is devoted to wildlife protection. But unplanned land alienation and unchecked encroachments have made matters worse. One of our most important forest reserves is the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, which encompasses 50 per cent of the remaining lowland rain forest vegetation in Sri Lanka. Portions of the reserve have been protected since 1875, and it was declared a World Heritage Site in 1989. Biological studies have revealed that the reserve is a "hotspot within a hotspot". Sixty-five per cent of Sri Lanka's 220 endemic tree and woody climber species and 270 species of vertebrates have been recorded there. Although public awareness of Sinharaja's splendid biodiversity is growing, the reserve still faces threats. In a country like ours where conservation budgets are insufficient, given the number of species threatened with extinction, identifying conservation priorities is crucial. What we need urgently is a National Strategy for the Conservation of Sri Lanka's Biological Diversity, which will provide the framework for protecting our Biodiversity. The Strategy's stated aim should be to bridge the gap between current activities and those measures necessary to ensure the effective identification, conservation and ecologically sustainable use of Sri Lanka's biological diversity. In Sri Lanka, the Government has always borne the main responsibility for biodiversity conservation and its costs. However, biodiversity conservation should not be viewed as a burden or unrecoverable expense. Instead, it should be seen as an investment similar to that in public education or health. The maintenance of key habitats and species provides economically valuable ecosystem services or forms the indispensable basis for major industries as fisheries, tourism, and the harvesting of non-timber products. Since international funding for biodiversity conservation will always be limited, the government itself must make the necessary policy changes and increase its own investments. Much of biodiversity is a common good. If we are to avoid the ultimate tragedy due to uncontrolled and selfish overexploitation, we must combat the unwanted effects of globalisation with intellectually robust global systems of stewardship and governance. We must agree ourselves about how globalisation can operate within the limits of environmental sustainability. It is often that the global trade is driving many species towards extinction. But it need not do so. The United Nations recognises that properly regulated trade, keeping the exploitation of species within sustainable levels, can bring in much-needed income, especially to developing countries like Sri Lanka. Time and space are running out. Something has to be done, and now. Only when individual citizens, private companies and NGOs get together with the Government under a common flag, will it be possible to combat the loss of Biodiversity effectively. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
Citation from the CBD message says:'This year's theme for IDB reminds us
that, in addition to providing the physical condition for all life,
biodiversity also plays an important role in protecting life and making it
resilient to the pressure brought about by change. The theme is also
especially relevant for this year in the context of the launch of the
biodiversity synthesis report of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. 
