Sl embassy presentation biodiversity

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Hemesiri Kotagama

BiodiversitySights and Insights from Sri Lanka

Hemesiri KotagamaDepartment of Natural Resource

EconomicsSultan Qaboos University

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Biodiversity is the Variety of Life

• Beautiful and the ugly• Big and small• Vicious and innocent• Visible and invisible• Discovered and undiscovered• All … life.

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Expressions of Biodiversity

Ecosystem Diversity

Species Diversity

Genetic Diversity

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Ecosystem Diversity Sights from Sri Lanka

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Flowering Plants

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500

Sri Lanka

Malaysia

Vietnam

Bangladesh

Philippines

Thailand

Indonesia

Myanmar

India

China

Number of Species / 10,000 Sq Kms

Species Diversity Sights from Sri Lanka

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Amphibians

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Sri Lanka

Philippines

Thailand

Myanmar

China High endemicity (85%)

Species Diversity Sights from Sri Lanka

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Species Diversity Sights from Sri Lanka

Reptiles

0 5 10 15 20 25

Sri Lanka

Bangladesh

Malaysia

Myanmar

Indonesia

India

China

SNAKES - 94 ( 46% Endemic). Only 5 lethal

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Mammals

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Sri Lanka

Vietnam

Thailand

Indonesia

China

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Birds

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Malaysia

Sri Lanka

Philippines

Thailand

Myanmar

Indonesia

Pakistan

India

China

Number of Species / 10,000 Sq Kms

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Sri Lanka has Very Diverse Floristic Regions too …

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ENDEMISM

Very high numbers of endemics in both plants and animals

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ENDEMISM Among the flowering plants > 35%

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ENDEMISM among the Flowering plants in the wet zone > 65%

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Endemism high among least mobile vertebrate fauna - > 50% in Amphibia and

Reptiles,

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FRESH WATER CRABS 59 SPP 100% ENDEMIC

Even higher endemism among the INVERTEBRATES

Land snails – 204 species . > 80% ENDEMIC.

Fishes they are unique…

• Nearly 50% endemic Most of them are restricted to South - western and Mahaweli region

• Diversity in size / morphology / habitats / ecology

• Introduced 24spp

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A large mammal - elephant in a small island

- most unusual

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One of 35 HOT SPOTS of the world

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Our biodiversity has numerous unique features contributing to make SRI LANKA a true

“LAND LIKE NO OTHER”

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What has Contributed to this High Diversity?

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Sri Lanka is an Island with a Coast Line that Extends over 1340 km

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Sri Lanka Has Many Climatic Zones

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Sri Lanka has a High Variation in Elevation –from Sea Level to about 8200 feet

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103 River Basins

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Several Thousand Man

Made Lakes

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No Lake dwelling fish, High number of fish with accessory respiratory organs indicate that Sri Lanka did not have natural inland water bodies

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14 Great Soil Groups

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Hillocks, rock outcrops, catchments, escarpments are floral and faunal refuges

(least distrubed)

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Why should Biodiversity be Conserved

MEANING OF DEVELOPMENT• Maximize social welfare/

satisfaction• 1950: Material development• 1960: Equitable development• 1970: Qualitative development• 1980: Righteous development• 1990: Sustainable development• 2000: Participatory development

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

• A development process that best satisfies the present generation whilst leaving options for the future generations to best satisfy themselves.

• An option that links present and future generation is the environment.

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COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES

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Option Values of Biodiversity

Genetic Engineering Pharmaceutical Prospecting

Medicine• About 80% of the

people in developing countries use plants as a primary source of medicine.

• 57% of the 150 most-prescribed drugs have their origins in biodiversity

Source: © AMNH-CBC

prepared by M.F. Laverty and E.J. Sterling

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BIOPROSPECTING?

Bioprospecting is:

“the examination of biological resourcesfor features that may be of value for commercial

development”

Financial value of biodiversity

Estimates of annual markets for some products derived from genetic resources

Products Annual Sales (billion US$)Low High

Pharmaceuticals 75 150Botanical medicines 20 40Agricultural produce 300+ 450+Ornamental horticulture 16 19Crop protection 0.6 3Biotech (except health & agriculture) 60 120Personal care & cosmetics 2.8 2.8ROUNDED TOTAL 500 800Source: ten Kate K and Laird SA (1999), The Commercial Use of Biodiversiy, Earthscan Publications Ltd.

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BIOPROSPECTING

Bioprospecting is BIG business!

PHARMACEUTICALS: US$300 billion

AGROCHEMICALS and SEED: US$60 billion

ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE: US$16-19 billion

NATURAL MEDICINES: US$10 billion

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AN ISSUE OF SIGNIFICANCE

Biological diversity rich nations are a prime target for bioprospecting

So is Sri Lanka

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• De Silva, S. and H.B. Kotagama (1997) “Value of Carbon Sequestration and Sink Service of Forests in Sri Lanka: Justification for International Resources Transfer for Forest Conservation.” Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Sciences Vol. (35) 1998, 1-9.

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• Pushpakumara, Kotagama, Marambe, Gamage, Silva, Gunaratne, Wijesundara and Karaluvinne. 2002. Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics. Volume 4. Part 1. Pp. 39-71. Prospects of Pharmaceutical Prospecting to Finance Biodiversity Conservation in Sri Lanka.

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• Vmp (L) = {NR*.p*.r*.a*.Vi/n}/ A

• where: Vmp(L) is potential revenue that could be generated from• pharmaceutical prospecting per hectare per year, • NR is number of plant species at risk of extinction, • P is the probability of discovering a drug from a plant, • r is the royalty rate on pharmaceutical prospecting, • a is the probability of appropriating revenue generated from

pharmaceutical prospecting, • Vi is the value of a plant based drugs per year• n is the number of plants that had been used in developing drugs• A is extent of land under biodiversity conservation.• Estimate 50 – 800 US $ / Ha

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• Empirical evidence suggests that• there exists a reasonable potential for• pharmaceutical prospecting to• generate revenues to conserve forest• biodiversity in Sri Lanka. This• potential has improved due not only• to the availability of high• biodiversity but also the high• availability of TKB. Based on the• forgoing economic analysis it could• be recommended that Sri Lanka• should attempt to formally• appropriate the benefits from• pharmaceutical prospecting,• dispelling bio-piracy.

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“Seeking Justice”

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