Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium最新文献

{"title":"The Colouration in Dicrurus caerulescens (White-bellied Drongo) Follows the Precipitation and Temperature of the Environment","authors":"Seneviratne S.S., Weerakkody S., Goodale E., Gunasekara V.R., O'Brien I., Bond A.","doi":"10.31357/fesympo.v27.6555","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31357/fesympo.v27.6555","url":null,"abstract":"The variation in climatic conditions over space and time is considered a major driving force in speciation. Gloger's rule is one such rule that broadly explains the variation in the colouration of endotherms (birds and mammals) with the effects of climatic parameters. This predicts that endothermic animals tend to have darker colouration in warm and rainy climates. Here we have tried to explain the variation in the belly white colour in Dicrurus caerulescens (White-bellied Drongo), an overall black coloured bird with a variable white belly. The dark bellied birds are considered the subspecies D. c., and the pale bellied birds are considered D. c.insularis (in dryzone of Sri Lanka). A total number of 112 individuals of adult White-bellied Drongo, including field (n=23) and museum samples (n=36) from Sri Lanka (Total 59), and museum samples from India (n=45) and Nepal (n=8) which were deposited at the National Museum of Sri Lanka, Field Museum of Natural History, USA and the Natural History Museum, UK were taken into consideration. The length of the white belly was measured using a dial calliper adopting a standardized method to minimize inconsistencies. To understand how the extent of white belly varied with respect to precipitation and temperature, we adopted generalized least squares (GLS) methods accounting for spatial autocorrelation between data points. The climatic variables were extracted from the world climatic data through QGIS software. The GLS methods were carried out using the ―nlme‖ package in the R Software for different orders of Autoregressive-moving average (ARMA) for the squared value of white belly length. To find the best fitting model, we used the Akaike information criterion (AIC) using the package ―AICcmodavg‖ in the R. From this, we found a negative significant effect of the interaction between the temperature and precipitation for the white belly length over the studied area in ARMA (1, 1) correlation (-3.72e-01±-0.022, t= -2.23, p<0.05). The white belly is smaller; hence the birds are darker where there is higher temperature and precipitation. The reverse (pale belly) is true when lower temperatures and/or humidity. Therefore, this follows the Gloger's rule of becoming darker in colouration with the high rainfall and temperature in D. caerulescens.  \u0000Keywords: Dicrurus caerulescens, Colouration, Gloger's rule, Temperature, Precipitation ","PeriodicalId":205644,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium","volume":"1 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139963799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mycoremediation Approach to Green Air: Phenanthrene and Anthracene Degrading Ability by Fusarium solani Isolate P11M-46","authors":"Dharmasiri R.B.N., Undugoda L.J.S., Nilmini A.H.L., Manage, P.M., Nugara N.N.R.N., Udayanga D.","doi":"10.31357/fesympo.v27.6622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31357/fesympo.v27.6622","url":null,"abstract":"There are many health issues associated with air pollution that are rapidly increasing with time across the globe. Among many air pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of particular concern because of their carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, and long persistence in the environment. The majority of these PAHs release into the air through anthropogenic activities and natural sources. After releasing into the air, PAHs usually return to the ground due to their high molecular weight. These hydrocarbon depositions can be categorized as wet or dry depositions. One of the most prominent deposition surfaces of these pollutants is the phyllosphere. Microorganisms such as fungi perform a key role in PAHs elimination through bioremediation processes. Epiphytic fungi such as Fusarium solani isolate P11M-46 utilizes the deposited phenanthrene and anthracene on the phyllosphere and convert those PAHs in to non-toxic levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of F. solani isolate P11M-46 to degrade phenanthrene and anthracene, through a mycoremediation approach. Leaf samples were collected from Panchikawatta, Orugodawatta, Pettah, Maradana, Colombo Fort, and Sapugaskanda urban areas in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, PAH degradation ability of isolated F. solani isolate P11M-46 was confirmed through High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The effects of by-products produced from the biodegradation process on living beings were evaluated using Artemia salina and the by-products were identified using Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (GCMS). According to HPLC results, F. solani isolate P11M-46 showed 68% of degradation percentage in phenanthrene while exhibiting 76% degradation in anthracene within 6 days. The GCMS analysis confirmed that the by-products were Phenol, 2-(phenylmethyl) from phenanthrene and 9, 10-anthracenedione from anthracene. Toxicity assay with A. salina confirmed that these byproducts were not toxic to the phyllosphere. The findings of the present study revealed the potential use of phyllosphere F. solani isolate P11M-46 in the remediation of environmental pollutants phenanthrene and anthracene. And also the by-products produced during their degradation mechanism were also confirmed as nontoxic compounds. Therefore, F. solani isolate P11M-46 could be effectively used in the bioremediation of phenanthrene and anthracene in polluted environments as a bioremediator.  \u0000Keywords: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Bioremediation, HPLC, GCMS, Toxicity ","PeriodicalId":205644,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium","volume":"39 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140455320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dynamics of Odonata in an Agroecosystem: Effects of Paddy Cultivation Phases on the Diversity of Dragonflies and Damselflies","authors":"Priyadarshana P.H.M.G.C., Ranaweera S.R.D., Shafa S.M.R., Gunawardena M.P.","doi":"10.31357/fesympo.v27.6546","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31357/fesympo.v27.6546","url":null,"abstract":"Wetlands represent a major part of biodiversity and provide habitat to many species which cannot succeed in other ecosystems. Man-made wetlands like Paddy fields represent a greater percentage of wetland ecosystems in Sri Lanka. However, there are only a few studies that observed the Odonata diversity in man-made wetland ecosystems in Sri Lanka. Therefore, this study was conducted to observe the effect of cultivation phases of a paddy-field ecosystem on the diversity of Odonata. The paddy culture period chosen for the study was started in June 2022 and ended in September 2022 and the study covered the Seeding, Tillering, Booting, Flowering, and Harvesting phases. Fixed-radius point count method was used for the data collection purpose and ten circular plots of 5m radius were laid maintaining a 50 m distance between two plots in the study area which had a total area of 785m2. At all five successive stages of the cultivation cycle, the number of Odonata species and their abundance were recorded once a week in each plot. Data was recorded each day from 8.00 am to 10.00 am and from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm. Odonata diversity was calculated separately at each of the stages of the paddy cultivation cycle using Simpson‘s index (D) and Shannon- wiener index (H‘). According to results, 592 individuals were recorded belonging to 14 species of Odonata in 02 families. Among the total recorded species, 64% of species belonged to the family Libellulidae. Sri Lankan Orange-faced Sprite (Pseudagrion rubriceps ceylonicum) was the only endemic Odonata species that were recorded during the study. The overall H‘ and D diversity indexes were 1.71 and 0.75, respectively. Values of H‘ and D diversity indexes for these five stages (Seeding, Tillering, Booting, Flowering, and Harvesting) were 1.36 & 0.65, 1.59 & 0.72, 1.72 & 0.76, 1.81 & 0.79 and 1.59 & 0.78, respectively. The study revealed that among the index values of each cultivation phase, the flowering stage had the highest diversity, while the seeding phase showed the lowest diversity. Therefore, it is evident that the transformation of land use/habitat in different stages plays a major role in the diversity of Odonata. and this study can be used to depict the impacts on biodiversity due to the degradation of wetlands.  \u0000Keywords: Odonata, Paddy cultivation phases, Biodiversity, Man-made wetland ","PeriodicalId":205644,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139962172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of a Disaster Management Education Program among Youth: A Case Study in Three Disaster-prone Provinces","authors":"Perera M.A.U., Gunawardena U.A.D.P.","doi":"10.31357/fesympo.v27.7024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31357/fesympo.v27.7024","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000Environmental Education has emerged to integrate knowledge on the need to conserve and to protect the natural environment and to minimize hazards associated with the polluted environment and natural disasters. The present study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of an environmental education programme conducted among participants of National Youth Corps (NYC) training centres. NYC recruits two batches per annum within the age group of 15–26 years. The survey was carried out in year 2019 for its first batch at three provinces: Southern, North Central and Sabaragamuwa. A workshop was conducted for all the trainees by the Disaster Management Centre followed by a two-day disaster drill programme to apply the theoretical knowledge into practice. Total intake of 5688 NYC recruits were reported in this year. 1062 of them were selected from 8 NYC training centres out of 14 total centres located within the three provinces that are considered as prone to natural disasters. A quota sampling approach was used to obtain a representative sample from these districts. Selected participants were advised to complete two self-administered questionnaires: one before the workshop and the other soon after completion. Knowledge and attitudes were measured, and the scores were compared with the hypothesis that participants reported higher scores after the workshop. Knowledge and attitudes toward disaster preparedness was evaluated before and after conducting the workshop. 71% from Southern province (Tsunami); 60% from Sabaragamuwa (landslide); and 75% of North Central province (flood) reported prior experience of natural disasters. The level of awareness of having either a local disaster management plan or a local person responsible for disaster preparedness was low. Only 14.8% from Southern, 11.0% from North Central, 17.0% from Sabaragamuwa Province knew the presence of a local DMP in which 15.0%, 19.3% and 21.6% respectively, knew the presence of the DM personal. About 75% from Southern province, 64% from North Central province and 84% from Sabaragamuwa province were not aware of the existence of an early warning system. An increase in the positive attitude was observed and the perceived change in behavioral change of the trainees have increased after the study. They were highly motivated in assisting disasters in a real situation and were willing to volunteer in minimizing the environmental hazards associated with environmental degradation. Despite the high motivation, lack of experience indicates the need for inclusion of disaster management training into National Youth Corps curriculum with annual educational activities after the initial training. The assessment framework established by this study could facilitate regular inspection and verify various disaster management tasks, in-order to enhance youth capability in response to disasters. \u0000Keywords: Environmental education, Disaster management, Youth, Knowledge enhancement, Attitude change \u0000 \u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":205644,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium","volume":"20 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139962496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial Distribution of Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Selected Wetlands of Colombo Ramsar Wetland City using Camera Traps","authors":"Mahaulpatha W.A.D., Bandara A.M.P.W., Sigera P.S.T.","doi":"10.31357/fesympo.v27.6548","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31357/fesympo.v27.6548","url":null,"abstract":"The first wetland capital city in the world, Colombo Ramsar Wetland City (CRWC), provides a diverse array of habitat types intermixed with one another to the faunal and floral communities. In this research, the spatial distribution of Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) was studied in Baddagana Wetland Park (BWP), Diyasaru Wetland Park (DWP) and Heen Ela Marsh (HEM) located within the CRWC, from June 2021 to January 2022. Annona (Annona glabra) woodland, mixed woodland, herb dominated high vegetation and herb dominated low vegetation habitat types were selected and camera trap stations were established providing equal trapping effort for each habitat type. Camera trap locations were selected to ensure a sufficient coverage of each wetland. Trap locations were changed every 30 days, and cameras were set to function during both day and night for 24 hours a day. A total number of 2,831 camera trap records belonging to 6 species were identified as meso-mammals. Spatial distribution was determined by the habitat preference of P. viverrinus and Relative Abundance Index (RAI) was used for the analysis of preference in each habitat type. It was evident that P. viverrinus mostly preferred Annona woodlands in both BWP (RAI, 14.4) and DWP (RAI, 12.7). However, the most preferred habitat type in HEM (RAI, 9.1) was mixed woodlands. Herb dominated high vegetation was the least preferred habitat type of P. viverrinus in BWP (RAI, 6.7) while herb dominated low vegetation was the least preferred habitat type in both DWP (RAI, 4.7) and HEM (RAI, 3.6). Mixed woodlands were almost equally preferred by P. viverrinus in all study sites and the preference of herb dominated low vegetation and herb dominated high vegetation was relatively low in all the study sites compared to other habitat types. This study suggests that the preference of P. viverrinus varied among different habitat types and one of the major reasons for Annona woodlands being the most preferred habitat type is that they are directly accessible to water. This increases their prey availability within the Annona woodlands, compared to the other habitat types. Thus, it is greatly important to conserve the wetland habitat types associated with water, in order to protect and conserve the P. viverrinus in Colombo wetlands  \u0000Keywords: Colombo Ramsar Wetland City, Meso-mammals, Camera trapping, Biodiversity, Carnivores  \u0000 ","PeriodicalId":205644,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium","volume":"11 16","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139962564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A GIS-based Binary Logistic Regression Model for the Inundation Analysis; A Case Study on Elapatha DS Division, Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka","authors":"Ekanayaka H.D.M., Jayasinghe G.Y., Priyankara P.","doi":"10.31357/fesympo.v27.7090","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31357/fesympo.v27.7090","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000Flood susceptibility analysis (FSA) is a prerequisite for adopting flood mitigation and adaptation techniques. A number of technologies and models have emerged through time, and this study focuses on the Binary Logistic Regression Model (BLRM) to investigate flood vulnerability of Elapatha Divisional secretariat (DS), Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka where has high impact from inundation. Rainfall, land use and land cover (LULC), elevation, slope, slope aspect, distance to the river, topographic wetness index (TWI), and stream power index (SPI) were the factors used in the model construction. These components were investigated in terms of their contribution to flood susceptibility using all location data and field plotting of responsible parameters in the study area using Geographic Information System (GIS) software, and all extracted data points were 96489, of which 50% were used for BLRM development using SPSS statistical software and remaining 50% for model validation. The coefficient of rainfall parameters, log value of elevation in meters, the tan value of slope in degrees, radiant value of aspect in degrees, (distance from the river)0.1, the ratio between SPI and TWI (SPI/TWI) and LULC band values of built-up area, water bodies and vegetations were 0.023, -2.254, -1.018, -0.005, -0.164, -0.003, 2.707, -.067 and -0.004 respectively. The accuracy was validated using Mean standard error (MSE) and area under curve (AUC) analysis, with values of 0.031 and 0.724 respectively. The Built-up area, elevation, and slope had the most impact on the inundation Elapatha DS division, and model performance represents 72.4% accuracy. Therefore, mitigation of inundation problems can be achieved through proper landscaping in the area. \u0000Keywords: Binary logistic Regression, Flood susceptibility Analysis, GIS software, Spatial analysis \u0000 \u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":205644,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium","volume":"4 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139962570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Study on the Potentiality of Bioethanol Production from Selected Weed Species of the Asteraceae Family","authors":"Alwis W.L.N.S., Pratheepkumar M., Ranganathan K.","doi":"10.31357/fesympo.v27.7106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31357/fesympo.v27.7106","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000Increasing population growth, industrialization, and the harmful impacts of fossil fuel burning on the environment fascinated the researchers to find a low-cost, environmentally friendly alternative substitute. A potential substitute feedstock for the synthesis of second-generation bioethanol is the lignocellulosic biomass from invasive weedy plants. The aim of this study was to determine the potential of bioethanol production from two weedy plant species using physical, chemical, and physiochemical pretreatment methods, as well as to optimize the pretreatment and culture conditions to obtain a higher reducing sugar amount and ethanol yield. The collected invasive weedy plants, Chromolaena odorata and Tridax procumbens, were cleaned, then pretreated with different acids and bases (4% v/v) at 121oC for 15 min. Then the filtrate was incubated with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker‘s yeast) in the peptone yeast extract and nutrient medium (PYN) at room temperature, the pH was maintained at 5.0. T. procumbens plant substrate with the performic acid pretreatment agent produced a significant amount (0.2%) of ethanol, and further studies were conducted with the same substrate and the pretreatment agent. The conditions were optimized successively by changing one factor at a time while keeping the other variables constant. Several important hydrolysis factors were studied for the optimization, including performic acid concentration (0.2–5%), hydrolysis time (10–60 min), fermentation time (24–120 h), inoculum concentration (1.25–7.5 g/100 ml), and rotation speed (50–250 rpm). The maximum ethanol yield of 0.47% was observed at 0.6% performic acid concentration, 30 min of hydrolysis time, 48 h of fermentation time, 5 g/100 ml of inoculum concentration, and 100 rpm rotation speed with T. procumbens using S. cerevisiae. \u0000Keywords: Bioethanol, Lignocellulosic biomass, Acid hydrolysis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae \u0000 \u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":205644,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium","volume":"20 23","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139962640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Conservation of Coastal Agriculture and Forestry–towards a Sustainable Blue Economy","authors":"Ranasinghe D.M.S.H.K.","doi":"10.31357/fesympo.v27.6557","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31357/fesympo.v27.6557","url":null,"abstract":"Blue economy is an economic system or sector that seeks to conserve marine and freshwater environments while using them in a sustainable way to develop economic growth and produce resources such as energy and food. In terms of the global economy, around 90 per cent of all internationally traded goods are shipped by sea, and the market value of marine and coastal resources and industries is estimated at US$3 trillion per year or about 5 per cent of global gross domestic product. Sustainable use of ocean, seas and marine resources, as set out in SDG14, lies at the center of a sustainable blue economy. Sri Lanka‘s coastline is 1,340 kilometres and approximately 33 percent of Sri Lanka's population lives in coastal areas that support diverse livelihoods, from fishing to tourism to manufacturing and modern urban services. The coastal areas often provide excellent soil and climatic conditions for agriculture, which has been practiced for thousands of years and plays an important role in the economy of coastal areas. Apart from the traditional rice based farming systems it also comprise of coastal fishing and coastal aquaculture, seaweed cultivation, coconut based cropping systems, commercial cash cropping systems and homestead farming systems. With regards to forests, mangroves, coastal forests, savannah woodlands, dry forests are present in these areas. Further, coral reefs, sea grass beds, salt marshes also play an important role in sustaining the balance as together they provide habitats for biodiversity, food, shade, medicine, products for the industry, protection of the coastline and carbon sequestration. However, these ecosystems are threatened due to numerous factors; climate change (as it induces flooding, shoreline erosion, salinity intrusion, temperature rise), due to conflicting activities such as operational in these coastal areas such as infrastructure including shoreline structures (harbors, breakwaters, tourist hotels), other tourism activities, industry etc. On the face of this, these ecosystems are often in the frontline to get depleted. The habitats are also getting modified due to the increase of toxicity from both inland and marine pollution, invasion of species. Therefore more concerted effort need to be exerted for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources if the country wants to reap the benefits of the blue economy sustainably. As oceans are shared by many countries, actions need to be taken at country, region and even global levels in the areas of regulation, technology transfer, enhancing awareness and education. A mechanism for regular monitoring is a must and this responsibility need to be shared by all the stakeholders. It is imperative to zone the coastal areas so that complementary activities will be lumped together. It is also required to strengthen the already available international agreements between the member countries such as South Asian Seas Programme, Programmes with the Intern","PeriodicalId":205644,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium","volume":"15 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139962672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of an Awareness Program on Lunch Sheets Pollution: A Case study at Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura","authors":"Gunathilake T.M.S.U., Tharindu G.A.N., Udayangi J.I., Weerasena O.V.D.C.J., Wanigasinghe S.P.A., Thennakoon H.G., Senarath M.V.R.P.D., Thilakarathne K.A.V., Bandara A.B.A.L., Seneviratne W.S.M.S., Sandaruwan G.L.H.","doi":"10.31357/fesympo.v27.7198","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31357/fesympo.v27.7198","url":null,"abstract":"The research was based on irregular disposal practices among the FAS students and giving knowledge about alternatives instead of non-degradable lunch sheets. Among all years of students, including from 1st year to 4th year, 62 students were randomly selected from different combinations and data was collected by sharing a Google form. The collected data was based on the type of lunch sheets used (biodegradable/non-biodegradable); the way of discarding the used lunch sheets; knowledge of the decomposition period of non-biodegradable lunch sheets; awareness of alternatives and lunch sheets ban in Sri Lanka; knowledge of environmental and health impact; and their interest in biodegradable lunch sheets. A poster was shared with information on the environmental and health impacts of non-degradable lunch sheets and the alternatives that can be used to reduce the usage of lunch sheets. After the awareness program, the resurvey was conducted by sharing the Google form among the 62 students who had joined the survey to identify how their behavior had changed. Among 62 students, 93.2% of students used separate bins as a disposal method early and after the awareness program, it was upgraded to 96.7%. At the same time, 11.9% of students disposed of their lunch packaging by burning it, and it was reduced to 3.3%. Before the awareness program, only 27.1% of students knew the decomposing period (10-20 years). After the awareness program, 95% of students selected the correct answer. In the beginning, only 52.5% of students knew about the ban on non-degradable lunch sheets in Sri Lanka. According to the results of resurvey, their awareness about banning lunch sheets increased to 95%. In addition, the students were more knowledgeable than before about the impacts of lunch sheets on the environment and animals after the awareness program. As a result of the resurvey, the awareness of reusable food packaging has improved by up to 98.3%. Furthermore, results showed that 91.7% of students preferred to buy biodegradable packaging materials that are five times more expensive than currently used non-degradable lunch sheets. However, reducing the production cost of biodegradable packaging materials requires further research and investigations. In conclusion, after this study, students were made aware of lunch sheet pollution, environmental impact, and alternatives for lunch sheets. Further investigation into this research will be carried out based on other faculties belonging to the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.  \u0000Keywords: Lunch sheet, Pollution, Non-degradable, Environmental effects ","PeriodicalId":205644,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium","volume":"18 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139962868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Determination of Heavy Metals in Etroplus suratensis from Koggala Lagoon in Southern, Sri Lanka","authors":"Abeysooriya A.P.S.W., Wijesinghe R.D.N., Bandara E.G.K.Y.C., Sanjaya H.L.K.","doi":"10.31357/fesympo.v27.6661","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31357/fesympo.v27.6661","url":null,"abstract":"Fish is one of the best organisms in many scientific studies to evaluate heavy metal pollution and human health hazards as they are well-understood organisms in the aquatic environment. The present study was carried out to examine the level of heavy metals in different tissues of Etroplus suratensis (Green chromide) in Koggala lagoon, Sri Lanka. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) was used to determine the levels of copper (Cu2+), cadmium (Cd+3), lead (Pb+2) and Chromium (Cr+3) ions in the different tissues (skin, liver, gill, and flesh) of fish belonging to three different sizes; small (7.8-10.2) cm, medium (14.1-16.6) cm, and large (19.8-25.2) cm. The number of thirty-six fish were collected from the lagoon randomly. According to available sizes, 12 fish for each size class were used for the analysis. Furthermore, the histological analysis was carried out to identify the changes at the tissue levelling the gill and liver of fish in three different size classes. Heavy metal concentration in fish samples were compared with the standard levels of heavy metals. Heavy metal concentrations in body tissues of three different body sizes of fish were found to be mainly in the order of Cu>Pb>Cr> Cd. The highest concentrations (P<0.05) of heavy metals were found in the fish flesh and skin, while the lowest concentrations were found in the gills. The range of heavy metal concentrations (g g-1 dry weight) in body tissue of small size, E. suratensis fish were, Cu: 0.0443-0.6210, Cd: 0.0110–0.0214, Pb: Below Detection Level (BDL)- 0.46 and Cr: BDL-39.633, Medium size fish were, Cu: 0.0713–0.6210, Cd: 0.0134-0.0170, Pb: BDL-40.906, Cr: 0.0014–0.0500 and large fish were, Cu: 0.0553–0.345, Cd: 0.0110–0.0256, Pb: 0.0204–0.2103 and Cr: 0.0194–0.0773. However, Cd, Cr and Pb concentrations of flesh tissues were under the standard recommended limits referred by the FAO. Through the Cu concentration in flesh, tissues exceeded the standard limits of FAO. It is not considered as a toxic heavy metal. Histological analysis revealed that the deviation of shape of hepatic cells in the liver may due to the exposure to heavy metals in the lagoon. According to the overall result, biomagnification nature of heavy metals, and the consumption of E. suratensis in the Koggala the bioaccumulation and lagoon may create health hazards to consumers.  \u0000Keywords: Green chromide, Koggala Lagoon, Heavy metals, Histology ","PeriodicalId":205644,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium","volume":"18 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139962869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}