Nagar Kovil area as an environmental sensitive area in the Jaffna District, Sri Lanka
Loading...
Date
2024-11-01
Authors
Rajkumar, Packiyanathan
Wijesundara, Chaminda S.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Postgraduate Institute of Science (PGIS), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Abstract
Environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs) are landscape elements or places that are vital to the
long-term maintenance of biological diversity, soil, water, and other natural resources both
on-site and in a regional context. Nagar Kovil area includes Kudaththanai, Ampan, Nagar
Kovil, Kudarappu, Mamunai Chempiyanpattu, and Maruthankeny, which are located in the
Vadamarachchi East Division in the Jaffna District. These areas are covered by
Thondamanaru Lagoon, which is associated with significant extents of mangroves that are
notable for their bird diversity compared with other parts of the Jaffna peninsula. The
objective of the present study was to identify potential ecological characteristics to determine
the environmental sensitivity of the Nagar Kovil area. The point-count method was used to
determine bird diversity, while the random quadrat method was used to assess the abundance
of mangrove species in the area from 2013 to 2018. A total of 38 species of resident birds
from Nagar Kovil and 27 species from Mamunai were recorded. The resident bird fauna of
Nagar Kovil had a Shannon Index value of 1.418 and an Evenness value of 0.390, whereas
those values were 0.911 and 0.276, respectively, for Mamunai. More than 2000 Greater
flamingos visit this region from May to August of each year. Among the 21 recorded
mangrove species in Sri Lanka, five species; Excoecaria agallocha, Rhizophora mucronata,
Aegiceras corniculatum, Lumnitzera racemosa and Avicenna marina, were recorded, and
the two species, Avicenna marina and Aegiceras corniculatum are rare species. Rhizophora
mucronata, with a height of more than 25 m, had a relatively high density. A marsh crocodile
was also identified, and fish and shellfish, including crabs, were also found in these areas.
The study revealed that Nagar Kovil areas sufficient physical and ecological characteristics,
to be considered as an environmental sensitive area for conservation point of view.
Description
Keywords
Environmental sensitive area , Nagar Kovil , Mangroves , Thondamanaru lagoon
Citation
Proceedings of the Postgraduate Institute of Science Research Congress (RESCON) -2024, University of Peradeniya, P 47