This guide is for governments, conservationist practitioners and insurers to design and introduce insurance schemes to reduce human-wildlife conflict (HWC) and promote human-wildlife coexistence. Certain
Averse to law: The Afghanistan government, along with the UN, has rejected a call of experts to legalise cultivation of opium crops in the country. Eighty seven per cent of the world's opium is
Blunder tourism: Six months after the tsunami disaster, the inhabitants of Arugam Bay on Sri Lanka's east coast are protesting a government move ostensibly aimed at creating a safety buffer zone
LTTE's water war: In the last week of July, the Sri Lankan army launched a ground offensive against Tamil tiger rebels to regain control over a key water reservoir in the northeastern city of
the Sri Lankan government gazetted regulations for the import of genetically modified (gm) food on August 3, 2006, making labelling and pre-import approvals mandatory. The rules will be enforced
controversial bill: A new bill that seeks to set up Sri Lanka's National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol has kicked off a huge controversy. The bill aims at reducing consumption and bans
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Vehicular Air Pollution in Colombo</strong></span></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/country/srilanka/vehicular_pollution_hl.jpg" style="width: 530px; height: 300px; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid;" /></p> <p>In Colombo vehicles are responsible for 60% of the air pollution load. The city is falling into the toxic grip of motorization. Colombo is in the grip of deadly dieselisation: the current level of diesel technology and fuel quality represents very special risk, as diesel vehicle fleet is expanding in a maniacal pace. Diesel vehicles are 45% of the total fleet that already use up more than 90% of the diesel fuel. The policy to under tax diesel fuel and maintain a wide gap with petrol prices is largely responsible for this trend in the region.</p>
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<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Fisheries</strong></span></p> <p><img alt="Fisheries" src="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/country/srilanka/fisheries_hl.jpg" style="border-width: 2px; border-style: solid;" /></p> <p>As early as in the 1960s, South Indian fishermen were encouraged to use trawlers to increase fisheries exports. The use of trawlers have since boomed, resulting in the near complete extinction of fish in the Indian part of the sea. Due to the decline in catch in their own territorial zones, fishing boats from Tamil Nadu have for long coveted fishing zones in the Sri Lankan territorial waters.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Land Degradation</strong></span></p> <p><img alt="Land Degradation" src="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/country/srilanka/land_hl.jpg" /></p> <p>Land is the most vital and heavily threatened natural resource in Sri Lanka. Degradation of land due to soil erosion is of much concern because of its consequences on agriculture, which is a major contributor to the country's GDP. It is estimated that about 5-10 mm of topsoil is lost every year.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Coastal Erosion</strong></span></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/country/srilanka/coastal_erosion_hl.jpg" style="width: 530px; height: 300px; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid;" /></p> <p>Sri Lanka’s experience with coastal erosion dates back to 1920. Today coastal erosion is an acute problem, disrupting fishing navigation" recreation and many other coast-based activities.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Floods - Sri Lanka</strong></span></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/country/srilanka/floods_hl.jpg" style="width: 530px; height: 300px; border-width: 2px; border-style: solid;" /></p> <p>The principal reason for floods in the country lies in the very nature of her natural ecological systems- the monsoon. Sedimentation of river beds is not considered a major factor contributing t o flooding in Sri Lanka . However, due to land use changes in the watersheds, sediment loads could increase in the future.</p>
