National Task Force on bio-piracy:

Final report next week

Dinesh De Alwis

The final report of the National Task Force on bio-piracy of Sri Lankan indigenous flora and fauna species is to be handed over to Research and Technology Minister Prof Tissa Vitarana next week, Ministry sources said.

The task force has met thrice and the draft report has been prepared.

The Minister has given the task force terms of reference, based on which the committee will submit the final report which will thereafter be submitted for Cabinet approval before taking action on it, sources said.

The 12 member National Task Force was appointed by the Minister to investigate bio-piracy and take action against illegal export of Sri Lankan bio-diversity species. Two months ago Japan Fujifilm Corporation had taken the patent for Kothala Himbutu (Salacia reticulata) as revealed by the Daily News. This disclosure spurred authorities to focus attention on safeguarding Sri Lanka’s bio diversity species. Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of biological endemism in the world with 16 percent of the fauna and 23 percent of flowering plants being endemic.

There are 3,210 flowering plants and among them 916 species are endemic to the island.

According to the International Union of Conservation of Nature(IUCN) Red List which is accepted as the status of world species; 27 per cent of the flowering plants, 84 percent of the amphibians, 50 percent of reptiles, 54 percent of fresh water fish, and 85 percent of the land-snails are endemic to Sri Lanka.