in Sri Lanka - Ministry of Environment

IAS list (Eichhornia crassipes). The list also includes two exotic Salvinia sp. Further threeplant species, Ludwigia sedioides, Mayaca fluviatilis, and Echinodorus spp., are identified aspotential invasive plants in the country (Yakandawala and Yakandawala, 2007). Even a smallfragment of 2 cm in length of M. fluviatilis is capable of developing into a new plant. Therefore,the mechanical control of these plants should be carried out with utmost care (Yakandawalaand Dissanayake, 2010). It is also noted with caution that 35 Echinodorus species, includingvarieties, are currently circulated in the local market. The plants exhibit an effective modeof reproduction by developing plantlets from florets of the submerged inflorescence in largenumbers. According to the Global Compendium of Weeds (Randall 2012) 32% of the plantstraded in Sri Lanka as ornamental aquatic plants are recognized for their invasive behaviorelsewhere in the world.Conservation prioritiesAmidst the conservation initiatives, majority of the wetlands and other aquatic ecosystems in SriLanka are under threat due to adverse anthropogenic activities. Within the context of speedydevelopment and population growth, conservation of wetlands together with its biodiversity isa challenge.At present, several government and non-government organizations are involved in wetlandconservation and management related activities in the country. The Directory of Asian Wetlands(Scott, 1989) lists 41 wetlands as critically important due to their high biodiversity and extentto which they are threatened by anthropogenic causes. The National Wetland SteeringCommittee (NWSC), through national workshops and surveys, recognised another 45 wetlandsites to the list. Sri Lanka signed the RAMSAR Convention on Conservation of Internationallyimportant wetlands in 1971, but this was ratified only in 1990. At present three wetlands,Bundala National Park, Anaiwilundawa ancient cascading tank system and the Madugangaestuary and mangrove ecosystem have hitherto been declared as RAMSAR wetland sites.The National Wetland Conservation Project of the Central Environmental Authority resulted inthe preparation of wetland site reports, management plans and guiding texts for a number ofwetlands. Presently, the Wetland Management Unit of the Central Environmental Authority isin the process of updating and maintaining the wetland data base which would be the basis forupgrading the National Wetland Directory.As conservation priorities the following could be highlighted; (1) Based on the existing wetlandsite reports and conservation management plans, identification of vulnerable wetlands withrich biodiversity have to be made with the view of upgrading their conservation status, (2)Preparation of wetland site reports and conservation management plans for other wetlandsthat were not covered by previous surveys would facilitate the demarcation of boundaries andconstruction of site maps. Demarcation of boundaries or reservation areas, especially for theriverine vegetation, should be considered as high priority. The riverine vegetation is declining inan alarming rate owing to habitat destruction as a consequence of development activities anddumping, (3) Surveying wetland sites in the North and Northeast of the island should be initiatedimmediately in order to address critical management issues since development activitieshave already been initiated, (4) In the event of a large scale disturbance to a wetland habitat(i.e. filling of wetlands for development, alteration in the downstream flow during constructionof dams, etc.), the aquatic vegetation must be managed in a systematic manner. This will193