A review of export trade of indigenous aquatic plants species in Sri Lanka and their conservation issues
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Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka
Abstract
Aquatic plants are adapted to aquatic environments and are required special adaptations for living
submerged in water or at the water’s surface. In addition to various ecological and industrial values,
most of aquatic plants are having ornamental value. Due to the ornamental value of the aquatic plants,
they have a huge demand and are exported from Sri Lanka. Along with ornamental fish industry,
aquatic plants are introduced and exported as a simultaneous industry. Present study was intended to
analyze and evaluate the trade of ornamental aquatic plants in Sri Lanka with a particular focus on
indigenous species. The objectives of the study are determine the exported species and their
quantities, the actual foreign exchange earnings, identify the conservation issues related to indigenous
species, identify the trends to occur irregularities in exportation procedure and propose suitable.
Materials and Methods
Exported aquatic plants species data and their quantities were extracted from the Customs Goods
Declaration Forms (CusDec) submitted by the ornamental aquatic plants exporters to the Air Cargo
Terminal in Katunayake under the Department of Sri Lanka Customs. The Customs Goods
February 2014
were analyzed. A questionnaire was also used to gather information regarding the conservation issues
through ornamental aquatic plants exporters, Custom officers at frontier and local villagers.
Results and Discussion
February in 2014, a total of 218 species of
aquatic plants has been exported to 43 countries from Sri Lanka. Among the total, 176 species were
indigenous, 1 species was endemic. When considering the total quantities of exported indigenous
aquatic plants during the one year period, the most common species exported was the Dracaena
sanderiana white (168185 individuals) and Lobelia cardinalis “small leaf”(4 individuals) was the
species exported in least quantities. During the one year study period, 1504531 individuals of aquatic
plants and 2047620 all types of live plants have been exported from Sri Lanka. When considering the
proportions of species exported during one year period, the endemics consist of 0.04%
(685individuals) and other indigenous species consisted of 80.91%(1217353individuals) among all
other aquatic plants. The proportion of indigenous aquatic plants species consisted of 59.45% and
endemics consisted of 0.03% among exported all types of live plants from Sri Lanka. And the
proportion of exported aquatic plants to all live plants is 73.47% from Sri Lanka during my study
period.
Description
Keywords
Animal Sciences, Aquaculture and Fisheries, Aquatic Plant, Aquatic Resources, Export Agriculture