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Latest News and Updates

Red List

The National Red List: Assessment of the Threat Status of the Freshwater Fishes of Sri Lanka 2020

23 June 2022
Introduction: The Red List is one of the best indicators of the health of a species as it is an assessment that takes into consideration most of the internal and external factors that influence the long-term survival of the species being assessed. It is a very useful tool that provides the basis for…
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National red List of Flora 2020

Launch of the National red List of Flora 2020 and Conservation Status of the Flora of Sri Lanka

23 June 2022
Biodiversity is an asset of tremendous value both locally and globally. It is essential that this precious diversity of flora and fauna are preserved for future generations. The National Red List 2020 – Conservation Status of the Flora of Sri Lanka, calls upon our urgent attention to protect native…
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Would history repeat? Detection of Cabomba furcata, a potential invasive plant in natural ecosystems of Sri Lanka

23 June 2022
Alien invasive species are considered a serious threat to biodiversity, and all nations are gearing towards minimizing their impacts. Early detection and rapid response are identified as one of the most effective methods for minimizing their detrimental impacts. The present study reports the…
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New species of Sericini from Sri Lanka (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae)

17 June 2022
The researches are delightned to present the results of their field survey in Sri Lanka and describe ten new species of Sericini: Selaserica fabriziae sp. nov., Sel. sororinitida sp. nov., Neoserica pophami sp. nov., Maladera haniel sp. nov., M. kishi sp. nov., M. windy sp. nov., M. karunaratnae sp…
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Cyrtodactylus punctatus Knuckles Ground Gecko

Taxonomically Divided: The Hidden Diversity and Inland Radiation of Sri Lanka’s Ground-dwelling Geckos of the Genus Cyrtodactylus

17 June 2022
The genus Cyrtodactylus has recently been classified phylogenetically into several clades, subclades, groups, and some into Sri Lankan Cyrtodactylus . Certain complexes from the Indian subcontinent have been assigned to the “ C. triedrus group”. This group is comprised of medium-sized species (SVL…
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A New Orchid Species from Montane Cloud Forest of Sri Lanka

17 June 2022
Complete taxonomic description, color photographs, and line drawings of the newly discovered Oberonia mahaeliyensis (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae: Malaxideae) are provided in this publication.
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Introducing three Thalloid Liverworts (Marchantiopsida) from Sri Lanka

17 June 2022
A group of researchers from the Botany Department of University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka has freshly discovered three Thalloid Liverworts (Marchantiopsida) to the existing liverworts plant community. Plagiochasma appendiculatum Lehm. & Lindenb., Riccia crispatula Mitt., and Fossombronia cristula…
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A New Balsam (Balsaminaceae) species from Knuckles massif of Sri Lanka

17 June 2022
A group of researchers from Sri Lanka has delighted with a new Balsaminaceae species (Impatiens jacobdevlasii) from Knuckles (Dumbara) massif of Sri Lanka. With the new species named from the locality, the number of Balsam species belonging to Sri Lanka has increased to 25. The new species has been…
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Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda wins Linnean Medal, the ‘Nobel Prize for naturalists’

14 June 2022
Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda was this week awarded the Linnean Medal which is considered as the Nobel Prize for naturalists, at a ceremony in London. He is the first Sri Lanka to win the annual medal bestowed since 1888 to a botanist or a zoologist, or to one of each, in the same year. Dr. Pethiyagoda is…
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Rediscovery of Anisogomphus ceylonicus (Odonata: Gomphidae) based on its larva

14 June 2022
Anisogomphus ceylonicus (Hagen in Selys, 1878) is one of the rarest of the Sri Lankan Odonata. It was first discovered from Ramboda over 140 years ago based on a female specimen, which was originally described as Gomphus ceylonicus and later assigned to the genus Heliogomphus by F. C. Fraser. Almost…
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Rediscovery of Macromia flinti with observations on the female and novel faunistic records (Odonata: Macromiidae) from Sri Lanka

14 June 2022
Macromia flinti Lieftinck, 1977, is an endemic dragonfly in Sri Lanka and one of the rarest known odonates in the country. Originally described based on a single specimen collected in 1970, it had not been reported in the past 50 years and thus was considered a globally Critically Endangered Species…
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First Paper on Scolecophidians (‘blindsnakes’) from Sri Lanka

14 June 2022
Sri Lanka has a rich snake diversity, but the island’s scolecophidians (‘blindsnakes’) are poorly understood due to the cryptic, burrowing habits of these inconspicuous animals and lack of systematic field surveys and morphological and molecular analyses. Here a research team report findings from a…
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Workshop

Validation Workshop on the draft National Policy on Mangrove Conservation and Sustainable Use

10 June 2022
The Ministry has established the National Expert Committee on Mangrove conservation sustainable use’ whose responsibility would be coordinate and steer the activities related to the conservation and sustainable use of mangrove ecosystems. One of the major activity is to prepare National Policy on…
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Participants

Validation workshop on National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

10 June 2022
Sri Lanka became a signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity on 1992 and the Convention was ratified in 1994. In 1994 Sri Lanka formulated a Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable use of Biological Diversity and, in 1996, prepared a Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan (BCAP) under the…
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Participants

Expert & stakeholder workshop of UNEP/GEP funded project on “Mainstreaming biodiversity conservation and sustainable use for improved human nutrition and wellbeing” (BFN project)

10 June 2022
The expert and key stakeholder workshop was conducted on the 19 th of February 2016 from 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 at the “Plant Genetic Resources Centre” Gannoruwa” Peradeniya. It was conducted successfully “achieving its goals of development of new project proposals to be facilitated and coordinated…
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United Nations Decade on Biodiversity

10 June 2022
Taking Action for Biodiversity The world is now on a path to building a future of living in harmony with nature. In October 2010, in Japan, governments agreed to the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Targets as the basis for halting and eventually reversing the loss of…
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Sub-regional exchange for the Pacific on the restoration of forests and other ecosystems within a landscape approach

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Assessing needs and opportunities for a regional ambition

The overall aim of the workshop is to support Parties in developing and implementing national plans on the restoration of forests and other ecosystems in the context of the short-term action plan on ecosystem restoration.  Participating

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International Bat Night: Fijian Bat Sanctuary

On this International Bat Night, Rainforest Trust would like to celebrate our work with National Trust of Fiji and Bat Conservation International. In July 2018, we created the first ever bat sanctuary in Fiji by officially protecting over 20 acres of land near the Nakanacagi Cave, which is home to

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SBSTTA 20

Twenty-First Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the CBD

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Article 25 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) establishes an open-ended intergovernmental scientific advisory body known as the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) to provide the Conference of the Parties (COP) and, as appropriate, its other

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Grouper moon fish. Photo by Jim Hellem

Ban on export, sale of endangered fish during breeding season

06 December 2017
The selling, exporting and consumption of beche-de-mer, undersized fish, kawakawa and donu (grouper) will stop from next year between June and September.
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Regional CHM Workshop for the Pacific

The purpose of the workshop is to build capacity and provide guidance on how to establish and sustain effective national clearing‑house mechanisms (CHM), in line with decision X/15 and in support of the national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs).

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A new species of banded iguana is discovered on the island of Gau

06 June 2017
Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, The National Trust of Fiji and NatureFiji-MareqetiViti have discovered a new species of banded iguana The new species of lizard, Brachylophus gau, is one of only four living species of South Pacific iguana, and is…
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IUCN identifies threatened freshwater biodiversity sites in the Mediterranean

01 August 2016
Out of the 167 freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas identified, mapped and validated throughout the Mediterranean region, 75 percent were found outside the boundaries of any pre-existing protected areas or other KBAs, according to the main results of an IUCN assessment revealed today at the IUCN World…
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Biodiversity

Clearing-House Mechanism

28 April 2015
Towards a biodiversity knowledge network for scientific and technical cooperation Mission The Convention on Biological Diversity has been established further to Article 18.3 of the Convention. Further to decision X/15, its mission is to contribute significantly to the implementation of the…
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National Red List 2012

The National Red List of Sri Lanka 2012

28 April 2015
The first list of threatened flora of Sri Lanka was prepared by Prof. B.A. Abeywickrama in 1987. This list was reproduced by Wijesinghe et al. in 1987 which also included a list of nationally threatened fauna. This list was updated by Wijesinghe et al., in 1993, using the data gathered from the…
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