IUCN commences biodiversity study at Heladhanavi Power Station

Saturday, 6 September 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

As a part of pursuing its core values of sustaining and enriching the environment, LTL Holdings (LTLH) has engaged the IUCN to undertake a study of the biodiversity of rainwater collection reservoirs within the Heladhanavi Power Plant premises in Puttalam.

IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environment organisation, involved in conserving biodiversity. The study is being carried out with a view of ascertaining the prevalent biodiversity and to recommend ways and means of protecting and enhancing the ecosystem. The IUCN Initial reports indicate that a total of 134 species of fauna were recorded during the sampling period. Eight of these species are endemic to Sri Lanka, one is endangered, and one is classified as vulnerable.

The pygmy shrew (Suncusetruscus), the world’s smallest terrestrial mammal; Asian elephant (Elephasmaximus), the largest terrestrial animal; otter (Lutralutra); and grey slender Loris (Loris lydekkerianus) are some of the noteworthy faunal species that were recorded during the sampling period. LTLH is excited about these initial findings, and once the full set of recommendations of IUCN is available, LTLH hopes to implement the recommended interventions to enhance and develop this area as a nature reserve, to enhance the biodiversity value.