Wednesday, June 30, 2010

පරිසර සංරක්ෂණයේ වැදගත්කම


සොබාවික සම්පත් ආරක්ෂා කර ගැනීම සදහා පරිසර සංරක්ෂණය ඉතා වැදගත් වෙයි. මිනිසා පරිබෝජනය කරන පරිසර සම්පත් ඉවක් බවක් නැතිව විනාස කිරීම නිසා අද දවස වනවිට දැඩි පරිසර හානියක් ඇතිවී තිබෙයි .පස ,ජලය,ඉන්ධන,ලෝහ වර්ග ,වනාන්තර ,අද දවස වනවිට දැඩි අර්බුධකාරී පරිසර ගැටළු නිර්මාණය කර තිබේ.
සංවර්ධන කටයුතු පවත්වාගෙන යාමටද පරිසර සංරක්ෂණය වැදගත් වෙයි .දැව කර්මාන්තය පවතින රටක වනාන්තර විනාස නොවන පරිදි දැව කැපීම සිදු කල යුතුය.එසේම ශාක වර්ග සහ සත්ව වර්ග රක ගැනීම පරිසර සංරක්ෂණයේ පරමාර්ථයකි.වනාන්තර ආරක්ෂා කර ගැනීමෙන් ඒ අවට ශාක සහ සත්ව වර්ග රෙකගත හැක .එසේම භුමියේ ඵලදායිතව රක ගත හැක.එමෙන්ම පරිසර සුන්දරත්වය රක ගැනීමටද පරිසර සංරක්ෂණය වැදගත් වෙයි. පරිසර සුන්දරත්වය රටකට සම්පතකි .නමුත් වර්තමානය වන විට මිනිස් හැසිරීම් නිසාවෙන් පරිසරයේ අලංකාරය නැතිවී යමින් පවතී.
එමෙන්ම මිනිස් සෞඛයය සදහාද පරිසර සංරක්ෂණය වැදගත් වෙයි.මිනිසාගේ හැසිරීම නිසා වාතය ,ජලය,ගොඩබිම ,දුෂණය වීම නිසා විවිධ රෝගාබාධ හටගෙන තිබ්යි .

පරිසර සංරක්ෂණ උපාය මාර්ග .






භූමි පරිභෝජනය

01) එක් එක් ඉඩමේ සුදුසු පරිභෝජන සදහා තෝරා ගැනීම .
02) ඉඩම් කළමනාකරණය ගැන පර්යේෂණ පැවැත්වීම.
03) ඉඩම් සංරක්ෂණය සහ පස සංරක්ෂණ පනතක් පැනවීම.
04) ඉඩම් භාවිත කිරීමේ සැලැස්මක් සකස් කිරීම .
05) උචිත ගොවිතැන් පිළිබද පර්යේෂණ පෙවෙත් වීම

වන සම්පත්

01) ගස් කැපීම සහ අනවසර පදිංචිය වැලක්වීමට පනතක් ගෙන ඒම.
02) වන සංරක්ෂණ දෙපාර්ථමේන්තුව වන වගාව,හා කළමනාකරණය
03) වතු සහ සොබාවික වනාන්තර කළමනාකරණය පුළුල් කල යුතුය .
04) දැව කපා ගැනීම සදහා විධිමත් වැඩපිළිවෙලක් සකස් කල යුතුය .
05) උත්භිද උද්‍යාන පිහිටු විය යුතුයි.

වන සතුන්

01) ජාතික වන සත්ව පතිපත්තියක් සකස් කල යුතුය .
02) වද වී යන සත්ව කොටස් හදුනා ගත යුතයි .
03) වන සත්ව මණ්ඩලය පිහිටු වීම .

ජනගහනය

01) විදිමත් අධයාපනය සහ අවිදිමත් අධ්‍යාපනය දියුණු කල යුතුය.
02) කාන්තා රැකියා අවස්ථා වැඩිකළ යුතුය.

කෘෂිකර්මය

01) පස් සහ ජල සංරක්ෂණය සදහා දිරිදීමට ගොවීන්ට ආධාර මුදල් ලබා දීම .
02) වැව සහ ඇළ වේලි සකස් කිරීම .
03) අධික අස්වැන්නක් ලෙබෙන බෝග සිටුවීම.
04) පොහොර සහ කුෂිරසායන මගින් ජලය දුෂණය වීම වැලක්වීම .

The Song of the Waterfall


The Lanka council of waterfalls (LCWF), a non-profit scientific organization is focused on the socio cultural protection of the country's wealth of waterfalls, they do this by making both sri Lankans and foreigners aware of this great asset says LCWF president.

They have several study areas, among them the life-style of the people who live near the waterfalls, the flora and fauna, the economic benefits, related myths and legends and the specific sounds of water.

With measurements done by the survey department, the LCWF has been instrumental in getting three Sri Lankan waterfalls listed in the 100 highest waterfalls of the world.

The three are Bambarakanda fall, 241 meters high, placed 48th, Kuruduoya fall 189 meters high, placed 58th and Diyaluma fall, 171metres high, placed 62nd.

The LCWF plans to draw international attention to the country's waterfalls by conducting an international meeting on waterfalls by 2005.

Recently launched is a diploma course with lecturers comprising university students and professionals of the field like J.B Disanayaka, emeritus professor of Sinhala Dr. Channa Bambaradeniya, prof. Hemanthi Ranasinghe, prof. Sarath Kotagama and prof. Mahinda Rupasinghe. The syllabus includes an introduction to water, water management, definition of water, the formation of a waterfall, geological background, measuring methods, conservation, bio- diversity and economic benefits, the four- month diploma is part time, held on weekends and is open to anyone interested in the field.

The LCWF includes a study centre as well as an information centre.

Developed countries utilize waterfalls to generate hydropower without affection their natural state. Sri Lanka however, being a developing countries faces huge challenges in operating such projects with conservationists objection on several grounds.

We have gathered that the occasional awareness programmes on the value of waterfalls do not make any sense to poverty stricken people. We need to teach them the value of waterfalls in a practical way. When the number of tourists grows, they automatically start to sense the growth of their economics state as well, "says LCWF coordinator. The LCWF is planning to activate eco-tourism projects, he added.

The LCWF is also searching for waterfall related songs and have their own theme song written by Dharmasiri Gamage with music directed by Rohana Weerasinghe. Those interested in the study of waterfalls should log on to their website www.srilankanwaterfalls.org. (Source : http://www.sundaytimes.lk)

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Beware of Lightning: Lightning Safety Awareness Week

Summer started this week, and so did Lightning Safety Awareness Week (June 20-26), which is observed annually in June.

Lightning is dangerous and unpredictable, but it is most likely to occur as part of thunderstorms on hot, humid days. If you see lightning or hear thunder, the National Weather Service recommends that you take cover in a safe building that has a roof, walls and a floor, such as a house, school, office building or shopping center. The idea is to take shelter in a structure with plumbing and electrical wiring that will send lightning into the ground if the building is struck.

If no such building is close by when a storm comes up, a car or truck will do. Just make sure it isn't a ragtop convertible (even with the roof up, it's no help) and stay away from the radio, ignition, or anything else inside the car that has an outside connection (such as an antenna).

Also, if you happen to be camping when a thunderstorm begins, your tent may keep you dry but it won't protect you from lightning. Find a piece of low ground sheltered by low-growth trees and stay there until the storm passes.

If you're ever with or near someone who is struck by lightning, go to them immediately and check for injuries (there's no danger in touching someone who has just been struck by lightning). Call 911 or local emergency services for help. Anyone struck by lightning should receive a medical examination even if they don't appear to be seriously injured.

To learn more about lightning and how it compares to other weather hazards, read Why is Lightning Dangerous?

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Sri Lanka - Environment

Sri Lanka's principal environmental problem has been rapid deforestation, leading to soil erosion, destruction of wildlife habitats, and reduction of water flow. In 1985, the total amount of land affected by deforestation was 224 sq mi. The government began a reforestation program in 1970, and since 1977, it has banned the export of timber and the felling of forests at elevations over 1,500 m (5,000 ft) and the export of timber. Nevertheless, between 1981 and 1985, some 58,000 hectares (143,000 acres) of forestland were lost each year and the nation lost an additional 21.4% of its forest and woodland between 1983 and 1993.

The nation's water has been polluted by industrial, agricultural, and mining by-products along with untreated sewage. As a result, only 70% of the people living in rural areas have pure water. Air pollution from industry and transportation vehicles is another significant environmental concern. The main environmental agency is the Central Environmental Authority within the Ministry of Industry and Scientific Affairs. Although legislation to protect flora and fauna and to conserve forests has been enacted, there has been inadequate enforcement of the laws, and the nation's wildlife population has been reduced by poaching.

Wildlife has been protected since 1937; by 2001, protected areas covered about 13.3% of the country's total land area. As of 2001, 14 of Sri Lanka's mammal species and 11 of its bird species are endangered. Endangered species include the Asian elephant, green labeo, spotted loach, and four species of turtle (green sea, hawksbill, olive ridley, and leatherback). In addition, 431 types of plants are threatened with extinction.

Sources of Air Pollution

Sources of Air Pollution
Emissions inventories are not routinely compiled in the FIGURE 2.2
country but are conducted mostly on ad hoc basis for academic Contribution of Major Sectors of the Economy to SO2 and NO2
Emissions in Sri Lanka, 1997
purposes. Emissions inventories compiled by different groups
also vary in terms of sectors, pollutants, and base years covered. (a) SO2
It is also unclear whether these emissions inventories follow
the same methodologies. Fuel conversion
Industry
4%
7%
For 1997, emissions inventory of suspended particulate matter Domestic
11%
(SPM) indicate that biomass burning contributes a large Power generation
30%
percentage (87.1%) to the total (Figure 2.1). On the other hand,
transport sector emissions contribute the most emissions for
Transport
SO2 and NO2 (Figure 2.2). 48%
FIGURE 2.1
Contribution of Major Sectors of the Economy to SPM Emissions
in Sri Lanka, 1997 (b) NO2
Fuel conversion
Industry Power generation 0.1% Industry
5.2% 0.3%
2.3%
Power generation
Biomass burning 13.7%
87.1%
Transport
Vehicular traffic
46.8%
7.4%
Domestic
37.1%
SPM = suspended particulate matter SO2 = Sulfur dioxide; NO2 = Nitrogen dioxide
Source: Male Declaration, 2000. Source: Male Declaration, 2000.
Sri Lanka’s energy mix has been changing from high Through a technical assistance from the International Atomic
dependence on hydropower to increasing use of thermal power. Energy Agency, which started in 1998, the capacity of Sri Lanka
It is expected then that electricity generation, particularly to conduct source apportionment using nuclear analytical
from thermal power plants, can potentially contribute to techniques has been enabled. In a monitoring study conducted
air pollution. Of the installed 2,483 MW electric generation between May 2002 and August 2004, it was revealed that
capacity in Sri Lanka, almost 50% comes from thermal power 40% of PM10 fraction is composed of PM2.5 and that black
generation. Table 2.1 shows that emissions inventory of carbon measurements of the filters indicate that combustion
pollutants from these thermal power plants are increasing in sources dominate (two thirds of total PM2.5) the fine fraction
both the western province and Colombo district areas. (Seneviratne et al 2004).




ලංකාවට ආවේනික කුරුල්ලන්

Birds of srilanka 15 Pictures
[Ashy headed babbler: (Birds of srilanka)] [Green billed coucal: (Birds of srilanka)] [Hill munia: (Birds of srilanka)] [Sri Lanka blue magpie: (Birds of srilanka)] [Sri Lanka brown capped babbler: (Birds of srilanka)] [Sri Lanka dusky blue fly catcher: (Birds of srilanka)] [Sri Lanka gray hornbill: (Birds of srilanka)] [Sri Lanka hanging parrot: (Birds of srilanka)] [Srilanka red faced malkoha: (Birds of srilanka)] [Sri Lanka spot-winged thrush: (Birds of srilanka)] [Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush (Arrenga): (Birds of srilanka)] [Sri Lanka white faced starling: (Birds of srilanka)] [Sri Lanka yellow eared bulbul: (Birds of srilanka)] [Yellow eyed babbler: (Birds of srilanka)] [Yellow fronted barbet: (Birds of srilanka)]
Environment Sri Lanka

sri Lanka is an island, 65,610 km2 in area situated close to the Southeast corner of the peninsula of India. Despite its relatively small size, Sri Lanka possesses a high level of bioddiversity. This site provides information, galleries, discussions on Sri Lankan Environment, Biodiverstiy, Eco-tourism and environmental issues.

Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Celebrate Dads who work hard for a better world.
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Fathers’ dreams for their children often surround what athletics or interests they will share, what college they might attend, the career they will embark upon after graduation, and the happiness they will find later in life. But in the developing world, a father’s dreams for his children are often overshadowed by the struggle to meet his family’s most basic, immediate needs. Fathers’ dreams for their children often surround what athletics or interests they will share, what college they might attend, the career they will embark upon after graduation, and the happiness they will find later in life. But in the developing world, a father’s dreams for his children are often overshadowed by the struggle to meet his family’s most basic, immediate needs.

Aparicio García Benítez of Buena Vista, Honduras is married with six children in primary school and has been working with SHI for one year. Although initially skeptical of the promises made by SHI, Aparicio was keen to diversify his crops, grow healthy vegetables and reforest his land with timber and fruit trees.

“When the SHI field trainer first arrived to work in our community, I had no intention of participating because I had no confidence. I thought that if I joined, I would lose my time because there are organizations that use only words but do nothing for families.

After a year of observing SHI’s good technical work with other families, I decided to apply for assistance. Another year later, I am now growing a variety of crops and fruit trees in my little plot, and I'm even expanding to a larger plot. As I like to say, SHI is an organization of actions, not just words.

My farmland is on a slope, so my field trainer, Salomon Zelaya, taught me to grow against the slope and to use techniques that prevent soil erosion while applying fertilizers, which I prepare myself with organic materials. The truth is that, before, we always used slash-and-burn techniques, herbicides and synthetic pest controls, but I am proud to now cultivate in a way that is good for the environment. We feed the soil with materials of the same forest, and everything is useful in this farming system that I implemented with SHI’s help.

Something very interesting is that with these new vegetables, all my children help me: some water the plants, and others help transplant seedlings. This is a joy for my entire family and is most beautiful when we harvest… We are happy to eat fresh, nutritious food that is free of contaminants. My children are growing and need to be well nourished to pay attention in their classes.

The big dream in my family is that by the time we stop working with SHI, we're going to have much more [regular] income and enough food, and most importantly, we will protect our water sources with all these trees we are planting. I'm optimistic and I am also ready to share my new knowledge with neighbors that are still burning the forest. If they learn the techniques we are now using with SHI, we can all live better lives.”
How can you help? Give a Gift of Hope to honor the dads in your life and empower fathers working with Sustainable Harvest International in Central America.
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Teaching the Teachers




Learn why a Smaller World Educators Workshop in Panama inspired a Massachusetts Spanish teacher to introduce environmental concepts in her curriculum.

Written by Barbara Kelley

BARBARA, KIRSTEN AND JAMI GET THEIR HANDS DIRTY WITH A SMILE.From the moment we arrived at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City for the first-ever SHI Educators Workshop, a lively collegiality and passionate dialogue about sustainability and environmental education prevailed. Our varied teaching fields (elementary special needs, middle school science, Spanish, music and community service development) made the discussions all the richer. With Panama’s stunning biological and cultural diversity as a backdrop, our exploration of SHI’s projects and mission deepened our understanding of important environmental issues and energized our dedication to inspiring students to take action.

After an overnight stay in the capital, we traveled to the village of Santa Rita where we lived with local families and worked at the community school. That first night is vivid in my mind, doña Digna and her quiet daughter Aurora presenting a lovingly prepared meal of gallina de patio (her own free-range chicken), rice and fresh organic vegetables from the garden. After eating, we nervously gathered outside in the patio area, trying to make small talk while the two children helped their parents bottle the pungent yellow berries from their nance tree. The generous hospitality of this humble family over the next few days was extraordinary. “Somos pobres de dinero pero ricos en naturaleza y espíritu,” commented my host father, don Luis. “We are poor economically but rich in nature and spirit.”

Each day, we spent the morning collaborating with Panamanian educators, sharing ideas about environmental education through a variety of workshops. Each afternoon, we worked on school and community projects, including planting gardens, reforesting degraded land and building a slow water filter. The work was hard, in very hot weather and even tropical downpours, but the spirits of our group of Panamanian and North American educators was high. Fifth grade teacher Anel sang salomas (a traditional form of yodeling) while 4th grade teacher Edwin slashed open coconuts for refreshment and home economics teacher Yadira offered up crackers and noni jam prepared by the students from the fruit of their local tree project. Despite language barriers, the camaraderie was palpable as we shared our common interest in sustainability education.

THE SANTA RITA SCHOOL FOLKLORIC DANCE CLUB PUT ON A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE IN OUR HONOR.Our SHI Field Trainer, Daysbeth López, enthusiastically shared her knowledge and commitment, while our dynamic Smaller World Tour leader, Kevin Johnson, provided seamless interpretation and boundless energy. We visited many of SHI’s projects to learn about its work with rural families. At don Isabel’s farm, we learned about natural fertilizers and pesticides, and the use of nitrogen-fixing trees to enrich the soil and provide shade and firewood. We used his newly installed water pump, planted pepper seedlings and admired his extensive production of tomatoes, onions, celery, peppers, cassava, pineapples, plantains, cilantro, many medicinal plants and so much more. At doña Corina’s home, we were introduced to the integrated rice paddies as an alternative to planting rice on hillsides, improving rice yields without having to cut down more forest. We visited don Diogenes’ beautiful organic gardens nestled into a verdant hillside, such a contrast to the slash-and-burn agriculture and the 20th century tendency toward monoculture. We heard about many of Sustainable Harvest International’s initiatives, such as microlending projects, wood conserving stoves and community nutrition.

Everywhere we went, food, music and dance were a vital part of our gatherings. On our last day at the school, the folkloric dance club put on a special performance in our honor, the girls swishing colorful pollera skirts and the boys boasting sombreros pintados, the celebrated Panama “painted” hat. I felt like a rock star, and a bit of a fraud, as community members thanked me personally for the transformative work SHI does. But it was clear to me that SHI, under the capable leadership of their Panamanian agricultural field staff, makes an enormous impact in the villages they work in.

I was inspired by the school gardens, community outreach and sustainability education in Panama. My two weeks with SHI’s Educators Workshop brought up a lot of big issues in the world...climate change, energy use, deforestation, biodiversity loss, the need to grow enough food to feed the planet. It was a lot to think about, but in the words of one of the farmers I met, “Lo importante es empezar, hacer el empeño, como todo en la vida.” “The important thing is to begin, to make the effort, as with everything in life.” I have begun the effort, thanks to SHI’s program. This year, I introduced an environmental unit into my eighth grade Spanish class, studying the environmental challenges facing Latin America. The sustainable future of our world depends on education and action, for it is the younger generation who will make the difference. Those rural Panamanian children and my suburban Massachusetts students must share a common goal: to work to restore the land to health and wholeness, to live their lives in a sustainable way.


Last modified on Friday, 16 April 2010

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

පරිසරය යනු

පරිසරය යන්නෙහි සරලම අරුත වන්නේ අප සහ අප අවට වටපිටාවයි .පරිසරය නම් සංකල්පය සොබාදහම ,සොබාවර්මය,වටපිටාව යනුවෙන්ද හදුන්වනු ලබයි .පරිසරය පරිසර පද්දති ,ජාන ව්ද්‍යාව,පරිසර ගැටළු,පරිසර සංරක්ෂණය ,ආදී විවි ස්වරුපයන්ගෙන් පරිසර විද්‍යාව යටතේ මේ වන විට හදුනා ගනිමින් පවතී .පොත පතින් අප උගත් දේ සොබාව සෞන්දර්යයට වඩා ගැඹුරින් පරිසරය යන්න මගින් නිරුපනය වන බව මගේ හැගීමයි .

පරිසරයෙන් ලැබෙන අමිල දායාද සොබාවික සම්පත් ලෙස හදුන්වයි .සම්පතක මුලික ලක්ෂණය වන්නේ ඒ සදහා දැඩි හානියක් නොමෙති විට සොබාදහමේ ගුණය මත යලි පුනරුත්පත්තියයි .පරිසරය කොටස් දෙකකට බෙදා දැක්විය හැකිය .

01) සොබාවික පරිසරය
02) කෘතීම පරිසරය

සොවබවික පරිසරය යනු අප ජීවත් වන සතුන්, ගස්,වැල්,ගංගා,ඇළ,දොළ ආදියෙන් යුතු පරිසරයි .කෘතීම පරිසරය යනු මිනිසා විසින් සොබාවික පරිසරය උපයෝගී කරගෙන කෘතීමව තනාගත් පරිසරයි.
අද දවස වන විට ලංකාව මුහුණපාන ප්‍රදාන පරිසර ගැටළු කිහිපයකි .


01) මිහිතලය උණුසුම් වීම
02) ඔසෝන් ස්තරය හීන වීම
03) කාලගුණික විපර්යාස
04) වනහරණය
05) කාන්තාරීකරණය
06) ජලය දුෂණය
ENVIROMENT

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