The Sixth Mass Extinction
Ranil Senanayake
The world is embarking on its sixth mass extinction with animals disappearing about 100 times faster than they used to, said a study led by experts at Stanford University, Princeton University and the University of California, Berkeley. But Sri Lanka is different, here we are finding new species at a rate about 100 times faster than they used to and all this in a background of rapidly disappearing habitat throughout the island. Apart from the ability to attract the tourist market with claims of high biodiversity or the narcissist need to become a ‘discoverer’. What does this mean ? Is Sri Lanka different to the rest of the planet ? Are we indeed a ‘Land like no other ?’.
The resolution of the corundum above, has to invoke, evolutionary theory, biogeography theory, taxonomic rigor, etc. No doubt that we will soon receive some explanation as to this unique trend in Sri Lanka, from our biodiversity experts. Till then however, it is very important to consider how sustainable all these named species are, especially as many are restricted to small forest patches, remnants of the once vast stretches of forests that covered the Island not so long ago.
These remnant forest patches often represent the only habitat for rare, indigenous or endangered species. Most remnant forest patches go unrecognized because they are not a part of any scheduled or protected area and are cut over or ploughed up at the whim of the local politician. The ability of the area presently scheduled or under protection, to provide habitat to all the endemic species represented in Sri Lanka is poor, as many remnant ecosystems exist only as small patches of refugial forest, scattered over the landscape and are not scheduled, recognized nor included in areas under protection. The irony of our conservation policy is that over 90% of our endemic species have less than 10% of their habitat area protected.
Between 1990 and 2010, Sri Lanka lost an average of 24,500 ha or 1.04% per year of its forest cover. Thus 20.9% forest cover or around 490,000 ha was lost during this time.
Although the previous Government boasted that “33 per cent of land area of Sri Lanka to be covered by forest by 2016, this will be accomplished with an investment of Rs. 10,500 Million for the period from 2007/16”. Nothing much seems to have happened. It is now 2015, thus some evidence of the results of the Rs.10,500 million should be visible now. Read More
