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SRI LANKA: ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES & BIO DIVERSITY

Buddhism was brought to Sri Lanka on Poson Full Moon Poya day by Arhat Mahinda Thero, special envoy of King of India. One of the earliest messages on the rights of nature including Environment Conservation and Human rights was delivered by Arhat Mahinda to Sri Lankan King Devanampiyathissa. Protection of nature became a tradition after this incident in Sri Lanka. "O' great King! the birds of the air and the beasts on the earth have an equal right to live and move about in any part of this land as thou. The land belongs to the people and all other beings and thou art only the guardian of it."

• Culture and Environment of Eppawala - by Prof. Jonathan Walters ( Eppawala and the surrounding villages are ancient settlements dating back to ancient Anuradhapura Period (3rd c., B.C. to 11th c., A.D.) one cannot dig a well nor clear a new field without turning up hundreds of shards of ancient pottery, carved stone lintels and pillars, and other remains of ancient inhabitants; the parcels of land each village sets aside for cremation and burial are literally filled with the remains of countless generations of Sri Lankans who worked these same paddy fields off these same ancient irrigation tanks and canals. Many of the estimated 54 villages which will be destroyed are classified as Sinhala "ancient villages" (purana gam).)
• The Eppawala Phosphate Scheme: A Lose-Lose Proposition Report to Tomen Corporation - December, 1999 ( By Prof. Jonathan Walters, The region which would be affected by this project is a place of pristine natural beauty and significance which supports a thriving 2000-year-old civilization.)  
• Images of Eppawala by Nihal Fernando ( @Prof. Jonathan Walters, Chair, Religion Dept. & Member and Former Chair Asian Studies Program, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA 99362, USA)  
• Local Press Articles about the Eppawala Issue ( A collection by Prof. Jonathan Walters, Americans for Eppawala - a non-profit clearing-house for textual and visual documentation of the culture and environment of the threatened region )  
• Who Wants To Strip Mine Eppawala? ( The proposed mining agreement forms a joint venture company, simply called "the company," of which U.S.-based IMC-Agrico would control 65%, Japan-based Tomen Corporation would control 25%, and the Sri Lankan government Lanka Phosphates, Ltd. would control 10%, after an initial 12 year period during which IMC-Agrico would control the entire project and profit. )
• The Eppawela Phosphate Project - A Revealing Financial Analysis by Premila Canagaratna ( After deducting all costs the Project Company will still be left with a whopping profit of US $ 7.87 Billion! Based on the equity participation, IMC-Agrico’s 65% of the profit would give it US $ 5.20 Billion, Tomen Corp.’s 25 % taking just over US $ 2 Billion, and the Government-owned Lanka Phosphate Ltd. getting a paltry US $ 800 million. )
• Eppawela The Fight For Phosphate ( What happens when a big American mining company comes to a small island and attempts to systematicaly milk its mineral resources dry? ) 
• Epphawala Phospate Deposit: Myths & Realities ( By Prof. O.A. Illeperuma, Prof. of Inorganic Chemistry )
• Movement for National Land and Agricultural Reform, Sri Lanka

The historical chronicle of Sri Lanka, the Mahavamsa, records that gemstones were among the gifts of Sri Lanka's king, Devanampiyatissa, to Emperor Ashoka of India. The Mahavamsa also records that the Buddha visited Sri Lanka to settle a dispute between the Naga King Mahodera and Prince Chulodera over a throne studded with gemstones. The Buddhist monk, Fa-Hien, reports on the mineral abundance of the land when he visits Sri Lanka.The Venetian traveller, Marco Polo, reaches the shores of Sri Lanka. He writes: "The island produces more beautiful and valuable rubies than are found in any other part of the world. Likewise sapphires, topazes, amethysts, garnets, and many other precious and costly stones. The king is supposed to possess one of the grandest rubies that ever was seen, being a span in length and the thickness of a man's arm, brilliant beyond description, and without a single flaw."

• History of Sri Lanka - Gems ( Period starts with the birth of Earth and the gradual appearance of many-celled animals, about 570 million years ago. Nine-tenths of the island of Sri Lanka is underlain by rocks of Precambrian age. The Precambrian crystalline rocks of Sri Lanka are divided into three major units: the Highland group, the Southwestern group, and the Vijayan Complex.)
• Sri Lanka - Gems ( Sri Lanka’s gem mining industry is amongst the oldest in the world. )
• Pearl - Queen of gems ( The history of Sri Lankan pearl industry stretches to the period of King Vijaya. The Mahawamsa notes him, sending his father-in-law, the Pandu King of India, "a shell pearl worth twice a hundred thousand (pieces of money)" at that time. Thereafter, it records King Devanampiyatissa, sending priceless treasures to King Asoka of India, including "eight kinds of pearls." And it was not only with India that Sri Lanka of ancient times traded in pearls. )
• Pearls - a global fascination ( Sri Lanka has the widest variety of precious stones among the gem producing countries of the world. What is even more, is that its fame for gem stones began 2000 years ago with the most perfect of them - pearls from our oysters in the Gulf of Mannar. )
• Some historical notes on Geology and Mineralogy in Sri Lanka ( The Mahawamsa provides us with the first record Mineral Survey in the 2nd cent. B.C., where it is recorded the location of precious minerals and gems with accuracy, as they are recorded in Polar Coordinates, of distance in Yojanas and angular direction based on the rising sun from the City of Anuradhapura. )
• Sri Lanka Granite and Mineral Sands (Granite brings grace to the gardens, homes, palaces and temples of Sri Lanka's ancient royalty and add to them a timeless and lasting beauty that has survived for centuries.)

• Waterfalls of Sri Lanka ( The island is blessed with 103 rivers and streams radiating from the central hills, rushing down rocky precipices forming a number of roaring waterfalls of various shapes and heights, all ending up loosing the momentum at the Indian Ocean.)
• Splendour of the splash ( The tallest is the Bambarakande Falls which cascades down 263 metres like liquid light. Bambarakande is taller than the famous Diyaluma falls which is only 220 metres but thought to be the tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka.)
• Galboda fall ( One could stand for hours in a spirit of amazement wondering at this beautiful scenery)
• Rassa Ella fall ( About six miles off Wattegama, along the Kandy-Katugastota-Wattegama highway on the road to Panvila, is this mystic waterfall called Rassa Ella. Its name describes it well - that it is as mystic in name and origin.)
• Water Falls of Sri Lanka ( A collection of photos & information on many water falls in Sri Lanka.) 

• Environment Sri Lanka Web Site ( A website of Forestry and Environmental Science Society of Univesity of Sri Jayewardenepura and Young Biolgists' Association, National Meuseum of the Naural History. ) 
• Garbage in Sri Lanka - An Overview of Solid Waste Management in the Ja-Ela Area
• State of the Environment - Sri Lanka Coastal Resources
• Biological diversity of Sri Lanka ( A nortworthy feature of Sri Lanka's biodiversity is the remarkable high proportion of endemic species among its flora and fauna: 23% of the flowering plants and 16% of the mammals in the island are endemic )
• Muthurajawela : a single, unitary coastal system (What happens to Negombo Lagoon affects Muthurajawela marsh, and vice versa: they form one single, continuous coastal wetland. The area measures some 7,000 ha between Colombo in the south and Negombo in the north, pinched between the ocean and the airport road.)
• Central Environmental Authority (CEA) - Sri Lanka
• The National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA)
• Sri Lanka's traditional agro-biodiversity (Sri Lanka is considered as a valuable repository of crop germplasm and agro-biodiversity. It has a rich treasure of rice genes and over 2,800 varieties have been recorded in the country. These varieties show great adaptability to a wide range of climatic and soil conditions and pest and disease problems. They also exhibit variation in grain size and quality, some with medicinal properties and fragrance and others that are used for cultural and ritual reasons also show differences in maturity period.)
• Biological diversity of Sri Lanka ( The flowering plants which constituted about 3360 species, belonged to 1350 genera and 200 families. The flora contains about 830 endemic species. The low-country wet zone and mountainous area in southwest harbour 90 per cent of endemic species.)

• Namal Uyana: One of the world's largest beds of 20 million years old fossilized plants (Namal Uyana The  sanctuary at Ulpothagama, Madatugama famous for its pink quartz mountain could be the home of one of the world's largest beds of fossilized plants. Initial beliefs are that the fossils could date as far back as 20 million years or more.)

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