Economy Environment

Economic challenges facing Sri Lankan women dependent on biodiversity

Admin January 10, 2023 207

Arul Karki   Sri Lanka’s women workers play an important role in the national economy. In the plantation, agriculture, service, and industrial sectors, the proportion of women workers is increasing. In particular, more women than men work in the agriculture and plantation sectors, the

Environment

Human-elephant conflict: Electric fence safeguards temple but puts villages in peril

Admin November 6, 2022 172

Danushka Silva (This is the first part of this two-part article.) Sri Lanka is one of the foremost countries conserving wildlife resources. When discussing Sri Lanka’s wildlife resources, elephants are a special topic that often comes up. About 10% of the regional wild elephant (Elephant Maximus) population is conserved in Sri Lanka. Therefore, a big […]

Environment

Pallakandal Church and the challenge it poses to Wilpattu

Admin November 5, 2022 149

Danushka Silva Wilpattu is Sri Lanka’s largest and oldest natural forest. More than a century ago, Wilpattu was declared as a national reserve and became a national park on February 25, 1938. Once an area is designated as a National Park in accordance with the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance, the Wildlife Conservation Department is […]

Environment

Discarded facemasks: The next big environmental crisis?

Admin November 4, 2022 187

Priyantha Karunaratne  People continue to use facemasks to protect themselves and others from covid-19 and reduce the chance of its spread, but the improper disposal of single-use facemasks has become one of the main environmental challenges today.  Haphazard discard of used facemasks in water sources, and marine and wildlife areas is now emerging as a […]

Environment

The X-press Pearl disaster and an island still ablaze 

Admin November 1, 2022 158

Kamani Hettiarachchi It is no surprise that the media have let the X-press Pearl ship disaster slip by when the country itself symbolises a sunken ship. However, the effects of the damage caused to the country’s economy and the ocean by the X-press Pearl ship explosion in Sri Lanka’s waters on May 20, 2021 will […]

Environment

Sallitivu: Environmental crisis looms amid bureaucratic blunders

Admin November 1, 2022 158

Dhanushka Silva Although the land is a limited resource, Sri Lanka abounds with scenic territories rich in biodiversity. Sallitivu Island on Sri Lanka’s eastern coast in Batticaloa is one such place. The island is 2.7kms in length and 155m in width, but its ecological value and rich biodiversity are more valuable than this small strip […]

Environment

Shoot the ideologies that prey on elephants

Admin October 29, 2022 153

Dhanushka Silva Unlike other societies, Asian society does not look at elephants in isolation from historical and cultural factors. Associating elephants with ceremonies of cultural and historical importance is one reason for this. That is why we have much respect and reverence for elephants, a feeling that has been ingrained in our minds since our […]

Environment

Study reveals more Leopard deaths occur during the Sri Pada season

Admin October 28, 2022 189

 Aruna Lakshman Fernando We have heard of fish falling from the sky during heavy rains. Imagine, what your reaction would be if someone told you that a leopard fell from the sky – and that, too, a three to four-footed one. You will surely laugh out loud.  But this is not a laughing matter for […]

Environment

Hikkaduwa’s man-made sea erosion poses threat to tourism industry

Admin October 28, 2022 178

Kamani Hettiarachchi “Our Hikkaduwa beach is being destroyed by illegal sand miners. They continue their activities, causing serious damage to the coast. Complaints to government officials draw little or no action because some of them are hand in glove with illegal sand miners. If this trend continues, the world-famous Hikkaduwa beach will be lost, along […]

Environment

How the Moragahakanda Project terminated the ‘Great Elephant Gathering’

Admin September 17, 2022 321

Kamanthi Wickramasinghe  Spanning over 8,000 hectares of land, the Minneriya National Park has been home to an abundance of gentle giants for centuries. Elephant herds visit the Minneriya Tank in search of food and fodder especially when the water levels subside. From May to September Minneriya National Park eventually became the site for the ‘Great […]