Spatial Variation of Land Values in the Colombo District, Sri Lanka Using Geographic Information System

Land value mapping is crucial for urban planning and decision-making, particularly as Sri Lanka undergoes rapid urbanisation. This study focuses on the Colombo district and aims to accurately interpret land values and identify their patterns for effective planning. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the research investigates the spatial variation of land values and the factors influencing them and categorises land value bands. Through geospatial analysis, employing inverse distance-weighted analysis and the geometric interval method, the study gathers land value data and analyses spatial patterns. The research outcomes are expected to offer valuable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders involved in land management and development in Colombo. The findings will contribute to an improved land evaluation system, enabling informed planning decisions and sustainable regional urban development

APPROACHING PROBLEMS OF LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY CHALLENGES IN SRI LANKA THROUGH BIOPROSPECTING AND BENEFIT SHARING

Biodiversity can be defined as variety and variability of Jiving organisms.Conceptually, it can be defined as hierarchically related levels, genetic, speciesand ecosystems. Culture and related developments also plays a significant role inbiodiversity. It is widely accepted that biodiversity is central to the developmentand evolutionary process without which the sustainability is questionable.However. Sri Lanka is loosing biodiversity is disappearing rapidly at all levels.At gene level, example is loss of wealthy landraces and local cultivars. Atspecies level, extinction, overexploitation and smuggling cause loss of species.Ecosystems also subjected to series of changes due to various reasons. Culturalaspects and indigenous knowledge also loose at a rapid rate.The challenges for these biodiversity losses cannot be address by simple or singlemeasures. A number of compatible options are essential to address it. However,the use of biodiversity in an appropriate manner is suggested as one of the mosteffective options in conservation of biodiversity.Use of biodiversity requires bioprospecting, the search For wild species, genes andtheir products with actual or potential use to humans. In broadest sense, it is aprocess dating from the roots of humanity. It has been practiced informallythroughout Sri Lanka and elsewhere. The forrnalisation of this process bringsmore benefits to the soicety. However, if the benefits of biodiversity utilisationare to be shared fairly and equitable, governments will needs to design specificmechanisms to ensure that these benefits actually reach intended beneficiarieswhich is termed as benefit sharing. This is an important issue from the article 15of the Convention of Biodiversity, which Sri Lanka signed and ratified.Biodiversity prospecting and benefit sharing increase in the recognised value ofresources are the most effective pathways to foster conservation and the continuedavailability of biodiversity. The authors .are discussing the above issues withexamples from India and Costa Rica and their relevance to Sri Lan

Polyunsaturated fatty acids influence offspring sex ratio in cows

Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can influence fertility in farm animals. Some evidence in mice and sheep have suggested that PUFAs may influence offspring sex ratio, which may have significant value for cattle production. To test this hypothesis, three groups of Holstein cows were supplemented with either 0%, 3% or 5% protected fat (PF) in the form of calcium salt of fatty acids (rich in omega-6) from 14–21 days pre-partum until conception. Proven-fertile frozen semen from the same ejaculate was used for insemination. Calf sex recorded at birth was 8/19 (42.1%) male offspring in the control group, increasing to 14/20 (70%, P > 0.05) and 17/20 (85%, P < 0.05) in 3% and 5% PF, respectively. To test if this effect was caused by a direct influence on the oocyte, we supplemented bovine cumulus oocyte complexes during in vitro maturation with either omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), omega-6 linoleic acid (LA) or trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Sex ratio of the produced transferable embryos was determined using PCR of SRY gene. Similar to the in vivo results, sex ratio was skewed to the male side in the embryos derived from LA- and CLA-treated oocytes (79% and 71%) compared to control and ALA-treated oocytes (44% and 54%, respectively). These results indicate that both dietary and in vitro supplementation of omega-6 PUFAs can skew the sex ratio towards the male side in cattle. Further experiments are required to confirm this effect on a larger scale and to study the mechanisms of action that might be involved

Economic Analysis of Jatropha Bio-diesel Production in Sri Lanka

There has been an increasing trend in investments in renewable energy sources in the recent years. This study assesses the economic and financial feasibility of Jatropha production in Sri Lanka under the prevailing policy regime. The nominal protection coefficient and effective protection coefficients were employed to gauge the level of protection for bio-diesel production using Jatropha in Sri Lanka. The cost benefit analysis was performed to assess the feasibility of Jatropha bio-diesel production in Sri Lanka. The conventional measures like NPV, BCR, and IRR were used in financial and economic terms. Nominal Rate of Protection (NPR) was calculated by dividing the local Jatropha bio-diesel price by the border price of biodiesel. The NPR for Bio-diesel implies that nearly 47% of protection at local market level. Effective Protection Rate (EPR) for seed production is 90%, for oil extraction and bio diesel processing it is 128%. Implication of this is that the producers will be protected and they receive returns 47% greater than what they would have received under free market conditions for Jatropha cultivation. Except for the benchmark situation, all other considered scenarios produce a favourable NPV, BCR and IRR for Jatropha bio-diesel production. Economic benefits due to CO2 reduction were also considered in the analysis.KEYWORDS:Cost benefit Analysis, Jatropha Biodiesel, Protection Coefficien

Agro- forestry system to protect both the Sinharaja forest and the peripheral villages (a case study of the southern part of Sin haraja)

Kandyan homcgardens are the most predominant upland cropping system which supposed tobe highly adapted, diversified, economically and environmental viable land use system. Objectives ofthis study were to identify problems and improvement potentials to this important system of landmanagement. Data were collected from randomly selected (n=65) homegardens in Yatinuwara DistrictSecretariat division during 2006. A vegetation survey was conducted to evaluate the structure andcomposition of homegardens. A household survey was conducted by interviewing the members toidentify tree use practices by family members, constraints and improvement potentials. Secondarydata were also collected from Agrarian Service Centres, maps and reports.Hornegardens in the study area have maintained diverse on farm trees. They cultivating andusing at least 138 species of which 36, 34, 24 and 6% comprised timber, medicinal plant, fruit tree andexport agricultural crop species. There are 73, 193,300 and 147, individuals of timber, fruit medicinaland export agricultural crops plants/ha indicating high plant density per unit area. These speciesgrown on homegardens have substantially contributed to meet the dai ly need of household, supplyingmainly fruit, green vegetable, timber and fuelwood. Some of these species have medicinal value andalso play an important role in soil conservation. This suggests that homegardens are important as asource of conserving agro-biodiversity, species, habitat and landscape protection. However, morethan half of the homegardens of Yatinuwara area are 20-80 perches category which indicate landfragmentation. Thus, each land unit has to playa vital role with limited land availability. Therefore,sustainable management practices are very important to increase production to reach increasing demanddue to increasing human population while maintaining the resource base. In satisfying necessarychanges to hornegardens, availability of quality planting material (only 22% had access to recommendedplanting material), height offruit trees, poor soil management and labour scarcity were identified asmajor problems in Yatinuwara area. There are improvement potentials to homegardens by increasingthe productivity of the existing system. It is possible even to increase the number of trees perhomegardens by introducing new varieties. It is also possible to replace existing less productiveindividuals by certified planting material. In addition, management of soil can also be improved byintroducing new techniques such as compost preparations with garbages and fallen leaves whichrequire attitudinal changes of households. Implications of these are discussed with respect to food,nutritional and health security and income generation.

Cinnamon: A Natural Feed Additive for Poultry Health and Production—A Review

The increased bacterial resistance to synthetic antibiotics and consumer awareness about the health and food safety concerns have triggered the ban on the use of antibiotic growth promotors (AGPs) in the poultry industry. This situation encouraged the poultry sector and industry to explore safe alternatives to AGPs and focus on developing more sustainable feed management strategies to improve the intestinal health and growth performance of poultry. Consequently, phytogenic feed additives (PFAs) have emerged as natural alternatives to AGPs and have great potential in the poultry industry. In recent years, cinnamon (one of the most widely used spices) has attracted attention from researchers as a natural product with numerous health benefits for poultry. The essential oils in cinnamon, in particular, are of interest because of their antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and hypocholesterolaemic effects, in addition to their ability to stimulate digestive enzymes in the gut. This review mainly emphasizes the potential impact of cinnamon as a natural feed additive on overall gut health, nutrient digestibility, blood biochemical profile, gene expression, gut microbiota and immune response

VALUE ADDITION PATHWAYS OF Exacum trinervium (BINARA) AND Santaum abum (SANDLEWOOD)

Value addition pathways of Exacum trinervium (binara) and Santa/um album (sandlewood) werestudied using information from literature, participatory discussions and indigenous knowledgevia personal communication. Exacum trinervium is em endemic and endangered species. Valueaddition pathways of E. trinervium includes direct selling of wild plants, breeding forornamental usage in Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, and for medicinal usage. Price of the plantscollected from wild ranges from Rs.2S-S0 per plant whereas prices of locally bred plants are Rs.60-70 per plant. Price of a pot of E. trinervium in the Netherlands is around Rs. 3500. ForSanta/um album collection, extraction of sandlewood oils for beauty-cultural industry,indigenous medicinal usage, woodcarving and export of timber to Pakistan are the value additionpathways. Price of a sandlewood at the age of 15 years ranges from Rs. 500-1000. Single tree ofsandlewood can yield about 11 of sandlewood oil. 'Pie price of 11of sandlewood oil is aroundRs. 40,000 in local market and US$ 4325 in interr ational market, which is mainly used forbeauty-cultural activities where there is no other synthetic or natural substance, has been foundto replace its fixative ability of sandlewood oil. Luxurious cosmetics, perfumes and sandlewoodsoap are produced using small amount of sandlewood oil. Timber of S. album is sold at Rs. 150-200 per kg, which is used for woodcarving. The carved items of sandlewood are priced at Rs.3000 per kg. These two species exemplifies the presence of various value addition pathwaysproviding ample opportunities for development of new industries and generation of incomethose have to be explored carefully.

SMALL HYDROPOWER PROJECTS: ENVIRONMENTAL AND HYDRO·GEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

Small hydropower projects are those that generate less than 10 MW of electricity usingsmall run-of-the-river hydropower systems. They usually consist of water conveyance.(headrace channel, forebay and penstock), powerhouse unit, tailrace and transmissionline. It is considered as a renewable resource of energy. It does not contribute to globalwarming and does not contribute to acid rains etc. Therefore, there is no question ofpollution or degradation of land, waterways or other water bodies. However, large-scaledam hydropower projects are often criticized for their impacts on environment,particularly on wildlife habitat, fish migration, and water flow and quality. It is usuallyassumed that small, run-of-the-river projects are free from many of the environmentalproblems associated with their large-scale counterparts because of the use of the naturalflow of the river, and thus producing relatively little change in the stream channel andflow. This paper addresses the feasibility of small hydropower projects in Sri Lanka withrespect to environmental issues, geological stability and hydrological feasibility usingcase studies. The results of the study revealed that environmental impacts of smallhydropower projects are location sensitive and also case dependant. In most cases,proper planning and implementation of the project and relevant mitigatory measures canminimize significant impacts of projects. Problems related to implementation andmonitoring of impacts and possible solutions are also discussed

VALUE ADDITION TO BIODIVERSITY PRODUCTS FOR BIOPROSPECTING AND BENEFIT SHARING

Sri Lanka has been identified as a biodiversity hotspot in the world. This is because of her richdiversity at genes, species and ecosj stem levels and unprecedented rate of loss ofSuch biodiversity. Sharing of benefits and increase in the recognized value of resources havebeen considered as one of the most effective pathways to foster conservation and utilization ofbiodiversity. Bioprospecting is searching for new genes, species and lor products for utilization,which has been practiced for centuries in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. However, to reach theoptimum benefit of bioprospecting and benefit sharing, it is essential to understand the valueaddition processes to biodiversity products. Value addition is considered as a step taken toincrease the value of a raw product any time between the harvesting and sale of the finalproduct. Value added products not only offer a higher return, but also open new markets, createbrand recognition and add variety. Value addition to biodiversity products can be rewarding andbenefits accrue from matching under-utili sed resources with potential marketsThe objectives of this study were to explore different value addition pathways of biodiversityproducts and identify sharing of benefits in each value addition process using Exacumtrinervium (binara), Salacia reticulate (kotalahimbutu), Munronia pinnata (binkohomba),Santalum a/bum (suduhandun) and Coscinium fenestratum (venival gata). Information wascollected from personal communication (indigenous knowledge), literature survey and brainstorming discussions.Potential value addition pathways were identified for all species. Sharing of benefits occursthroughout the value addition processes, although magnitude of sharing between different stepsvaries with species. In majority of species higher level of benefits is received by middlemanwhere as inM pinnata, collectors share high level of benefits. Results of the study also revealedthat there are no benefits provided in return to the area of conservation, which is a key factor ofdetermining sustainability of conservation. Implications of understanding of value additionprocesses of biodiversity prospecting, requirements of establishment of national legislation onbiodiversity prospecting, value addition and benefit sharing, and development of procedures andinstitutional capacities to implement such legislation are also discussed in this paper

USES OF PTERIDOPHTE FLORA IN SRI LANKA

Pteridophyte flora (ferns and fern allies) plays a significant role inunderstorey of the rain forest. Even though Pteridophytes are not widely usein Sri Lanka, it has been reported that they have ability to provide food,medicines, fiber, craft and building materials. Adrasive and decorations, inSri Lanka, 360 Pteridopyte species have been recorded, although informationPteridiphytes and their uses in scanty. Consequently, this study was carriedout to identify the food, medicinal and ornamental uses of Pteridophyte florain Sri Lanka. Studies were carried out at Kanneliya Man and BiosphereReserve (MAB) in Southern Province, Maliboda area in Sri Pada range andHunnasgiriya area in the Knuckles range. Observation of Pteridophyte floraand their identification and sample collection were done using scientificallyfrom discussion with adjacent communities, Hanthana, Dolosbage andLoolkandura (Kandy), Kalupahana (Matale), Namunukula (Badulla) andWatawala, Thalawakele and Hortain planes areas (Nuwara eliya) were alsovisited to observe and collect information on Pteridophytes, particularly withrespect to uses. Relevant literatures on Pteridophytes were also reviewed tofind out traditional and current uses of this plant category.Results of the study revealed that out of he 360 Pteridophytes species in SriLanka, only 4% (16 species) were used for medicinal purposes, while another4% (15 species) and 1% (5 species) were used as ornamental and plants,respectively. Eight species, namely Acrosticum aureum, Blechnum orientale,Drynaria quercifolia, Huperzia phlegmaria, H. squarrosa, Lycopodiellacernua, Nephrolepis falcate, and Ophioglossum pendulum were used for theboth medicinal and ornamental purpose. Two species, namely Acrostichumaureum and Blechnum oreientale were used for ornamental, medicinal aswell as foods. Cyathea walkera is the only endemic fern used for ornamentalplant and it was unable to find uses of the endemic Pteridophytes asmedicinal or food uses. Six species used for medicinal purposes and 4 speciesused for ornamental purposes have been identifies as threatened species.During the study, it was noted that the adjacent communities collectedspecies from the wild and none of the species under cultivation, suggestingthat for some species immediate conservation and utilization measures arerequired