NATURAL/ENVIRONMENTAL

RESOURCES IN SRI LANKA.

Question:

Prepare a list of at least ten natural/environmental resources in your country. Classify them
considering all four ways we discussed. Discuss which of three among them are at the risk of
depletion.

Natural Resources in Sri Lanka

1. Wild life 7. Land

2. Forests 8. Solar power
3. Minerals 9. Wind power
4. Hydro power 10. Minor export crops and export crops
5. Costal resources 11. Hydrogen
6. Water 12. Natural gases

Minerals

Graphite Salt Mica

Gems Phosphate Dolomite
Iron ore Titanium Apatite
Copper Silica sand
Zircon Feldspar

Costal resources

Mangroves
Sea grass
Coral reefs
Fisheries

Minor export crops and export crops

Export crops Minor export crops

Tea Cinnamon
Rubber Cloves
Coconut Cardamom
Coffee Nutmeg
Sadikka
Wasawasi
Classifications

1. Origin
2. Stages of development
3. Abundances and availability
4. Renewability

Resource Origin State Of Availability Renewability

Development &
Abundance
Renewable
Wild life Biotic Actual Exhaustible

Forests Biotic Actual Exhaustible Renewable

Minerals Abiotic Potential / Exhaustible Non-renewable

Actual

Hydro power Abiotic Potential / Inexhaustible Renewable

Actual

Costal resources Biotic/ Abiotic Actual Exhaustible Renewable

Water Abiotic Actual Exhaustible Renewable

Land Abiotic Actual Exhaustible Renewable

Solar power Abiotic Potential Inexhaustible Renewable

Wind power Abiotic Potential Inexhaustible Renewable

Minor export Biotic Reserve Exhaustible Renewable

crops

Hydrogen Abiotic Stock Inexhaustible Renewable

Natural gases Abiotic Potential Exhaustible Non-renewable

Forests

Forestation depletion or deforestation is one of the major environmental issues in Sri Lanka.
There has been a significant drop in the numbers from 1920 to 2005, from 49% to 20%. An average
of 26,800 ha of forests per year was lost between 1990 and 2000. This amounts to 1.14 percent of
average annual deforestation rate. Between 2000 and 2005 this rate has accelerated up to 1.43% per
year. However with a long history of policy and laws towards environmental protection,
deforestation rates of primary cover have actually decreased 35% since the end of the 1990.

The cause for the rapid deforestation has been done for agricultural land and plantations and
to provide fuel and timber. Tea plantations is one of the main export crops in Sri Lanka and has a
major impact on countries economy and the land required for tea plantations was obtained through
deforestation. Population pressure is also a significant factor as is the removal of forested areas to
make way for irrigation networks which was major process in the 1980s. Even flooding, landslides
and soil erosion have major impact in deforestation.

Minerals

Minerals are valuable natural resources and are unique and non-renewable. So special monitoring is
needed to capitalize these resources. Since it has not been done properly in Sri Lanka, our valuable
resources are in danger. And the rapid Mining and its impact on the environment is significant in
terms of deforestation.

The inability to add value to crude minerals before export is another problem. Because of this large
amount of minerals are exported for cheap values. To make more profit exported amounts are put
high.

Sri Lanka is a gifted country with a variety of mineral resources. But without proper
capitalization these resources are depleting rapidly. It is our duty and responsibility to use them
carefully so that we can give a maximum value to our natural resources. And by doing at the same
time we are keeping our environmental stability.
Costal resources

Sri Lanka is an island with a rich coast line about 1700 km long. This environmental system
has many benefits to humans as well as for the environmental stability. Along the coast is a variety
of ecological systems. Which include lagoons, sandy beaches, rocky shores, mangroves, coral reefs
and marine life.

These eco-systems have been disturbed by new developments and pollution. Most of the
beaches are polluted with manmade waist. And illegal methods of fishing have caused more damage
on most of the coral reefs. And the mangroves and sea grass density have rapidly gone down in past
few decades. This has a huge impact in eco systems in these environments.

Coast erosion is another major problem that has occurred due this unbalanced eco systems.
Coral reefs are sensitive to small changes in their habitats. Because of these issues they are in great
danger. So this is another natural resource that has impacted badly by human activities. And it is our
duty to protect these eco systems to our future generations.

References

Economic glory of Sri Lanka

(http://www.ifs.ac.lk/pdf/lectures/geo/Economic%20Geology%20of%20Sri%20Lanka.pdf )
2010 Mineral Year book, Sri Lanka (Advance release )
(http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2010/myb3-2010-ce.pdf )
86 Sri Lanka : State Of The Environment 200, Depletion Of Coastal Resources
(http://www.rrcap.unep.org/pub/soe/srilanka_coastal.pdf )
Management Of Coastal Resources In Puttalam Lagoon, Sri Lanka, By K.P.P. Pathirana1,
A.R.I. Kamal2, M.C. Riyas2 And A.L.M. Safeek2
(http://www.civil.pdn.ac.lk/acstaff/KPPP_details/Selected%20Publications/Paper%20No%20
P-06.pdf )
The importance of coastal environment, Sunday times, Sunday September 27, 2009
(http://www.sundaytimes.lk/090927/FunDay/fundaytimes_2.html)