English - Convention on Biological Diversity

Key threats Specific issue Statusconvert coastal ecosystemsto other uses.* +Over exploitationof biologicalresourcesLoss of traditionacrop andlivestockvarieties andbreedsSevere degradation of nearshore coastal reefs,especially in the southernregion, due to coral miningfor production of lime.* +Over collection of inland andfreshwater wetland bioresourcesand destructiveharvesting practices causingloss of populations amongmany plant and animalspecies.* +Over collection of coastalfood fish and lobsters.* +Over collection of marine andfreshwater ornamental fish.* +Over harvesting of medicinalplants, and species thatprovide raw materials forcottage industries (such asrattan) or are of subsistencevalue as food items and woodfor posts, poles and fuelwoodfrom forests.*Illegal harvesting of timberfrom natural forests.Loss of indigenous breeds oflivestock and traditionalvarieties of rice and otherfood crops due toreplacement in farmingsystems by new high yieldingvarieties.*This has been reduced to some extent by law, and there is aban on the use of coral based lime in governmentdepartments. However, this problem continues.The use of destructive fishing practices in inland wetlands,such as irrigation tanks, is banned under the fisheriesordinance. However these practices do continue in someareas, especially in the large Dry Zone tanks.Depletion of the coastal food fishery is addressed by thegovernment by promotion of deep sea fishing, which howeverhas its own problems. During the aftermath of the 2004tsunami, distribution of day boats aggravated the problem byincreasing the number of people engaged in the coastalfishery. Collection of gravid lobsters has been banned, butcollection is still not sustainable.While some captive breeding programmes are in place, muchof the collection (particularly the more attractive forms) isstill from the wilds, which is not sustainable.Destructive collection of non-timber forest products hasbeen greatly reduced in lowland Wet Zone forests managedby the Forest Department and in several PAs managed by theDWLC where participatory management was pilot tested.Furthermore, many resources obtained from nature such asrattan and dorana are now scarce, and local people dependmore on cash crops such as tea (in the Wet Zone) for theircash income. Permits are provided by the Forest Departmentfor extraction of a specified amount of forest resources suchas rattan, and for other traditional uses such as kitul tappingfor preparation of treacle and jiggery (a candy like localsweetner). Illegal forest extractions that are damaging havebeen considerably reduced in Wet Zone forests, with greaterawareness creation and enforcement activities of forestmanagers.There has been a ban on logging in natural forests since1990.There are also measures to regulate the transportationof specified wood (logs) of timber value. Timber for sale isprovided by the Forest Department from plantation forests,and the government also imports timber for local use.Banning of timber mills within 1 km of a Conservation foresthas also helped control this problem.Considerable work is being carried out by the Department ofAgriculture to counter this problem by promotion oftraditional varieties of rice and vegetables, and other fieldcrops among farmers and NGOs. The emergence of a smallbut increasing market for traditional varieties of rice hasserved to make this effective despite relatively lower yieldscompared to new improved varieties. The DOA also carriesFourth National Report to the CBD: Sri Lanka 49