scholarly journals Effects of Recreational Camping on the Environmental Values of National Parks in Sri Lanka

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-145
Author(s):  
Shashini Tara Mallikage ◽  
Priyan Perera ◽  
David Newsome ◽  
Rangika Bandara ◽  
Greg Simpson

Camping is a popular activity in the contemporary nature-based tourism domain and rapidly gaining momentum as a key recreational activity in Sri Lanka’s national parks (NPs). Recreational uses such as camping in natural areas can induce significant and often localised resource impacts that can affect soil, vegetation, wildlife and water, with the severity of such impacts varying according to the intensity of use. Hence, monitoring of the biophysical conditions of campsites has become an important component in the reserve management agenda in many places, especially in developed countries. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the biophysical impacts associated with the recreation ecology of camping in Sri Lanka. Ten campsites from three dry zone NPs were selected to assess biophysical impacts of camping activities. Field measurements were based on the fixed radial transect method. Gathered data included the total area of the campsite, erosion potential measured as the area of exposed soil (devoid of vegetation or organic litter), number of exposed roots and human damage to trees, number of fireplaces/ fire scars on the ground, visual counts of litter, soil compaction measured by penetrometer, loss of woody debris. This study reports significant levels of environmental degradation related to all the indictors of biophysical impacts at both high and low use campsites. There was no evidence for any difference in the level of environmental degradation associated with high and low use campsites. The loss of natural values associated with campsites negatively impacted visitors’ nature-based experience. These findings highlight the importance of managing biophysical impacts in campsites to provide a high-quality visitor experience, while sustainably managing tourism activities in NPs.

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adiqa Kiani ◽  
Ejaz Ullah ◽  
Khair Muhammad

The main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of poverty, globalization, and environmental degradation on economic growth in the selected SAARC countries. This study is employed panel Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) technique for empirical analysis using selected SAARC regions including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka over the period of 1980 to 2018. Globalization impacts economic growth positively and significantly.  In addition to this the significant negative relationship is found between population and economic growth. The results show that poverty is positively related with environmental degradation. Furthermore, the results indicate that globalization is positively and significantly associated with environmental degradation in the SAARC region. Finally, the results show that urbanization is positive and significantly associated with environmental degradation, which could be the serious concerns for the policy makers to control.


Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1490 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J.MENDIS WICKRAMASINGHE ◽  
D. A.I. MUNINDRADASA

Five new species of geckos are described from Sri Lanka by morphological comparison and morphometric analysis leading to review the genus Cnemaspis in the country. The type series of these species were identified from following localities: C. alwisi and C. kumarasinghei from the intermediate zone, C. retigalensis from the dry zone, C. molligodai from the lowland wet zone and C. samanalensis from the mountain region of the wet zone in the country. The high degree of endemicity (90%) shown by Cnemaspis in Sri Lanka could be attributed to geographical isolation. In addition, the taxonomic issue of C. jerdonii scalpensis is discussed and the species C. scalpensis is errected.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.H.Ashan Madusanka ◽  
◽  
Sandun Sadanayake ◽  
lkMeththika Vithanage ◽  
◽  
...  

In several regions of the dry zone of Sri Lanka, excessive quantities of fluoride (F-) in groundwater have affected the water quality significantly. Apart from the well-known prevalence of dental fluorosis, Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain etiology (CKDu) is widespread in different pockets in the dry zone of Sri Lanka [1]. Fluoride is one of the substances suspected of being causative of CKDu in the area. Since the kidneys retain more F- than in any other soft tissue and excess F- exposure can cause kidney disease. Within the same zone, the prevalence of CKDu varies by geographic area in a ground water and spatial distribution of selected trace elements in groundwater. The optimum F- level in drinking water, according to WHO guidelines, is 1.5 (mg/L); however, due to the unfavorable climatic conditions that exist in tropical countries, people ingest more water than normal intake, resulting in a high F- intake. The source of F- is geogenic. It has been found that the F- content of basement rocks ranges from 9.5×10-5 to 1.44×10-3 kg/L in the region [3]. Farmers consume about 2-3 liters of water a day to quench their thirst, resulting in a daily F- intake of 3×10-3-1×10-2 kg/L [4].


2015 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 322-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konrad Skwarek ◽  
Szymon Bijak

Abstract Dead wood plays an important role for the biodiversity of forest ecosystems and influences their proper development. This study assessed the amount of coarse woody debris in municipal forests in Warsaw (central Poland). Based on the forest site type, dominant tree species and age class, we stratified all complexes of the Warsaw urban forests in order to allocate 55 sample plots. For these plots, we determined the volume of dead wood including standing dead trees, coarse woody debris and broken branches as well as uprooted trees. We calculated the amount of dead wood in the distinguished site-species-age layers and for individual complexes. The volume of dead matter in municipal forests in Warsaw amounted to 38,761 m3, i.e. 13.7 m3/ha. The obtained results correspond to the current regulations concerning the amount of dead organic matter to be left in forests. Only in the Las Bielański complex (northern Warsaw) volume of dead wood is comparable to the level observed in Polish national parks or nature reserves, which is still far lower than the values found for natural forests. In general, municipal forests in Warsaw stand out positively in terms of dead wood quantity and a high degree of variation in the forms and dimensions of dead wood.


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 983-989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kasthuri Arachchige Chandrika Hemal Kothalawala ◽  
Kohei Makita ◽  
Hemal Kothalawala ◽  
Athambawa Mohamed Jiffry ◽  
Satoko Kubota ◽  
...  

2022 ◽  
pp. 31-43
Author(s):  
Atul Bamrara

Global environmental troubles are gaining significance because of the speedy and antagonistic speed of urbanization. Environmental degradation restricts the flow of environmental services. Dumping of pollutants in excess of its assimilative capacity into air, water, and soil results in deterioration of the quality of these vital resources. The nature of environmental problem depends upon the level of economic development and the geographical condition of the area under consideration. India being a developing economy with a low per capita income, high population density, agriculture-dependent labour force, and high percentage of rural areas, the problems here are different from those in developed countries. The chapter highlights the impact of knowledge regarding environmental protection issues on environmental degradation.


Author(s):  
Chitra Sriyani De Silva Lokuwaduge ◽  
Keshara M. De Silva Godage

Accounting reforms in the public sector have become one of the most debated aspects of the public sector financial management during the last three decades. Following the steps of developed countries around the globe, Sri Lanka as a developing country made initiatives to adopt international public sector accounting standards (IPSAS). The purpose of this study is to analyse the progress and the challenges they face in adopting IPSAS as a new public management (NPM) reform in Sri Lanka to enhance public sector accountability. Public sector accounting reforms in the developing countries in Asia is relatively under researched. Using the NPM concept, this study attempts to fill this gap. This chapter argues that even though Sri Lanka has initiated the move towards adopting IPSAS, developing countries face practical problems in adopting reforms due to their contextual factors such as limited institutional capacity and resources, high political involvements in decision-making, and high informality.


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