Featuring Marine Wonders of Sri Lanka

In association with the Mangroves for the Future initiative and Karunaratne and Sons, IUCN Sri Lanka hosted a special exposition of 20 rarely seen images of Sri Lanka’s marine wonders, photographed by Arjan Rajasooriya, Naren Gunasekeara, Nishan Perera and Riaz Cader.  This exhibition was held at the Casa Serena Gallery in Colombo. Visitors were enriched with tales from our marine realm, by the photographers themselves.

The seas around us, the coasts and their associated biodiversity, are among nature’s marvellous gifts to humankind. Since time immemorial, they have enchanted us with their spectacular beauty, provided us with nourishment, protected us from the elements and given us immense pleasure.

Yet these marine and coastal environments have been assaulted, over the last few decades, by a range of human-induced impacts. Many of these marine and coastal species as well as their habitats face high levels of threat and are even at the risk of disappearing altogether. Sri Lanka, as an island nation with a coastline of 1,585 kilometres, is home to a rich and diverse marine life. Little is known about the vast array of species that inhabit our waters, or about the marine habitats that these species inhabit.

Featured also was a 2013 desk calendar titled the Marine Wonders of Sri Lanka. Through this calendar, it is aimed to create a better understanding and awareness on the importance, and threats facing a selection of Sri Lanka’s marine species. Improving our knowledge about these species is an initial and crucial step in their survival and conservation. The calendar contains 12 stunning pictures of Sri Lanka’s seascapes and marine biodiversity.

The Calendar priced nominally at Rs 500/- a piece has the added feature of enabling the use of pictures as post cards.  All proceeds of the calendar sales will be utilized for learning and conserving, to sustain Sri Lanka’s dwindling marine heritage.