Technical Report 02 ECOLOGICAL STATUS WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY No.MCUDP/PHRD/03

Government of Sri Lanka METRO COLOMBO URBAN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (MCUDP) The Consultancy Services for the Preparation of a Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area

January 2015 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area

TEAM MEMBERS

Rob MCINNES ...... Team leader

Sibila JAKSIC ...... Institutions and policy Project manager Rob MCINNES ...... Ecosystem services_PRA_Questionnaires Mark EVERARD ...... Ecosystem services Anusha BANDARA ...... Ecosystem services _Economic valuation Lalith AMARALAL ...... Ecosystem services_PRA GREEN MOVEMENT ...... Ecosystem services _Questionnaires Devaka WEERAKOON ...... Biodiversity Gilles MOYNOT ...... Biodiversity Guillaume SALMON ...... Communication Plan Nicolas BARGIER ...... Water and soil quality Ranjana PIYADASA ...... Water and soil quality Pierre RIGAUDIERE ...... Physical features_Hydrology Anura RANWALA ...... Physical features_Hydrology

GIS team : Thilina Buddima PALLETHANNE, Anthony ROUÉ, Vu Hai LE, Inakshi KARUNAWARDANA, Olivier PETOT (ASCONIT) and “SAFEGE” GIS team

Supportive roles :

Missaka HETTIARACHCHI ...... Institutions and policy Mathieu SOUQUET ...... Wetland Management Strategy Keerthi Sri JAYAWARDENA ...... Hydrology background Indrasiri L.H ...... Expert GIS Janaka DHARMASENA ...... Urban planning issues Emmanuel THIRY ...... Advisory on governance issue

Page | ii WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area

Field assessment and survey were accomplished with participation of GREEN MOVEMENT staff for ecosystem services assessment and students from Colombo University for water quality and ecological surveys.

Ecological survey :

Mr. Chandana Asela (Fauna ‐ Dragon Flies and Butterflies); Mr. Amith Bandara (Fauna ‐ Fish); Ms. Dishanee Hewawitharana (Fauna ‐ Birds); Mr. Rohana Jayasekera (Fauna ‐ Aquatic and Land Snails)

Mr. Nalinda Peries (Flora expert); Mr. Rohan Peiris (Fauna ‐ Mammals); Mr. Roshan Rodrigo (Fauna ‐ Amphibians) Survey team was acoompanied by the following members of the Wetalnd Management Unit of the SLLRDC: Ms. Dhammika Pindeni – Fauna; Ms. R. Ransarani ‐ Flora

Metro Colombo Wetland Management Strategy was developed as a complementary initiative towards achieving capacity enhancement for flood and drainage management under the World Bank funded Metro Colombo Urban Development Project. The study received grant funding from the Japan Policy and Human Resources Development Fund and was directly supervised by the Wetland Management Division of the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation :

Dr. N. S. Wijayarathne ‐ Deputy General Manager L C G Soysa ‐ AGM ‐ Coordinator W D C T Gunasiri ‐ Environmental Scientist ‐ Surface and Ground Water and Soil surveys P D Pindeniya ‐ Ecologist ‐ Biodiversity Field surveys Ranoshi Siripala ‐ Ecologist ‐ Biodiversity Field surveys Kumudu Shirani ‐ Engineer ‐ Ecosystem Service Assessment U Y I L Dharmasoma ‐ Surface and Ground Water surveys Dammika Marasinghe ‐ Administrative Officer ‐ Social Surveys

Page | iii WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION ______5

2 Methodology ______7

3 Overview of the Habitats ______13

4 Overview of the flora ______29

5 Overview of the fauna ______36

6 Recommendations ______45

7 References ______46

8 APPENDICES ______46

Annex 1. List of Fauna and Flora Recorded from Colombo Wetlands ______47

Annex 2. The locations sampled for the Biodiversity baseline survey ______55

Annex 3: List of plants observed during the detailed biodiversity survey at the 15 major wetland areas ______58

Annex 4: List of fauna observed during the detailed biodiversity survey at the 15 major wetland areas ______69

Annex 5: Ecological survey maps ______81

Annex 6: Distribution of fauna and faune and relation with water quality ______88

Annex 7: Analysis and discussion regarding the impact of invasive species ______93

Annex 8: Planning and construction guidance ______95

Annex 9: Guidance for monitoring ______97

Page | iv WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Executive Summary

This study was undertaken as a sub project within the Wetland management Strategy (WMS) to document the baseline ecological conditions of the wetlands within the Colombo Metropolitan Region (CMR) in order to assist the development of WMS as well as to support future monitoring of biodiversity in the wetlands of the CMR.

The specific objectives of the study included, reviewing existing data sources and collate all available information pertaining to ecological resources of the wetlands within the CMR, establish baseline biodiversity inventories for the major wetland units identified within the CMR, elucidate the different types of wetland habitats present within the CMR and to identify critical wetland species and habitats in accordance with Worldbanks performance standards.

The existing data on ecological resources of wetlands in the CMR was documented and data gaps were identified. A field survey was carried out to address the identified data gaps. Sampling methods were designed to capture as much information as possible on the biological resources present in the project area within the shortest possible time. Both day‐time and nighttime transects were carried out to capture temporal variations in diversity. Altogether nine taxonomic groups were chosen for the study, which included flowering plants, dragon flies, butterflies, snails (both terrestrial and aquatic), fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The survey was conducted between 1st April 2015 and 30th June 2015. During this period 30 days of sampling were carried out including 7 night‐ time transects.

The wetlands can be broadly categorized in to seven major types based on the vegetation, Herb dominated Low Vegetation; Herb dominated High Vegetation; Annona Woodland; Mixed Woodland; Water with Floating Vegetation; Open Water and Highland Vegetation associated with wetlands. The wetlands found within CMR can de described as a mosaic with number of different habitat types found intermixed with one another creating various ecotones.

A total number of 252 plant species including 9 endemic, 9 nationally threatened and 11 nationally near threatened plant species were recorded from the wetlands in the CMR. Majority of the plant species recorded are herbaceous species (93) followed by trees (90) climbers (38), shrubs (27) and epiphytes (4). Approximately 30% of the recorded plant species in the wetlands of the CMR are introduced or exotic species. These exotic species have been introduced deliberately or accidentally by man. These exotic species included eleven plants that are listed as Alien Invasive Species in Sri Lanka (Wijesundara, 2010)

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A total number of 277 animal species including 32 that are endemic to Sri Lanka were recorded from the wetlands in the CMR. The faunal species recorded also included 18 threatened, 18 Near Threatened (NT) and 5 species listed as Data Deficient (DD). Further, the faunal assemblage recorded included 14 species of introduced or exotic species of which 4 are listed as invasive alien species and 3 species as potentially invasive alien species in Sri Lanka (Silva and Kurukulasuriya, 2010).

Out of the 15 wetland sites surveyed within the CMR four sites, Sri Jawardenapura‐kotte, Talangama Tank, Beddagana Biodiversity Park and Kolonnawa marsh should be considered as critical wetland habitats. Sri Jawardenapura‐kotte and Talangama Tank have been designated as protected areas under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance and National Environment act respectively. Both of these sites support high species (both fauna and flora) diversity, which has been the reason for the designation of these two sites as protected areas. Therefore, these two sites were chosen as critical habitats. Beddagana Biodiversity Park and Kolonnawa marsh support number of endemic (18 and 12 species respectively) and threatened (20 and 8 species respectively), including a Critically Endangered plant species that is native to Sri Lanka, Aganope heptaphylla. Other than these two sites, this plant is recorded only in one other site in east coast of Sri Lanka. Therefore these two sites are critical for the long term survival of this species.

In addition to the four sites mentions above, Thalawathugoda Wetland Park, Malabe Marsh, Weli Park marsh, Diyata Uyana and Mulleriyawa Marsh also support high species diversity including endemic and threatened species and should be considered as sites that are suitable for biodiversity conservation.

Between 15‐20% of the species recorded in each site are exotic species which have been introduced by humans either intentionally or accidentally in to these wetlands. Some of the introduced species are listed as alien invasive species at National level (Silva and Kurukulasuriya, 2010; Wijesundara, 2010). Altogether 11 invasive alien plant species and 4 invasive alien animal species were recorded in each of the 15 sites surveyed.

Therefore, invasive alien plant species should be considered as one of the main drivers of change in the wetlands of the CMR, especially since all the high biodiversity sites identified during this survey are affected by several species of invasive alien fauna and flora. As there is no baseline data on these sites it is not possible to analyze the impact of invasive species on the native biodiversity of these sites. However, spread of invasive species leads to deterioration of habitat quality and a

Page | 2 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area corresponding reduction in endemic and threatened species as well as overall species richness based on information available for Bellanwila‐Attidiya Sanctuary.

Invasive alien plant species are managed at many sites. The main method used is removal of these plants either by hand or using heavy machines. However, an invasive species management plan for the entire wetland with clear targets and time frames are needed if these species are to be managed effectively. Ideally, separate management plans should be developed for each of the identified invasive species as management prescriptions are not common for all the species concerned. Absence of such a planned approach to management results in resurgence of the same invasive species or other invasive species which will require continuous removal and thereby, causing continuous disturbance to the wetlands. Further, many of the invasive species have become established in the wetlands over a long period of time and many wetland fauna have become adapted to using these invasive alien species as feeding, roosting or breeding sites. Therefore outright removal may not be an option, instead selective replacement of the exotic and alien invasive species with native and preferably endemic and threatened species should be tried out at pilot level.

Other than the invasive alien species, there are many drivers of change operating on these wetland ecosystems such as increased rates of sedimentation, encroachment, unregulated waste disposal and changes in the hydrology as a result of flood management. Therefore, it is prudent to develop site level management plans to identify the strategic interventions needed at each site in order to ensure that these sites continue to provide the present level of ecosystem services.

Some of the wetland sites are managed while others receive little or no management and therefore, are left to undergo ecological succession. Most of the wetland habitats that are under paddy are managed by farmers who periodically plant paddy. Cultivation frequency varies across the CMR, where some paddy lands are cultivated twice a year (e.g. Kimbulawala paddy fields and paddy lands in Madiwela area) others are cultivated once a year or once in several years. As a consequence of cultivation these paddy lands are prevented from undergoing succession.

The canals and open water ways are managed by SLLR&DC for flood prevention. These include dredging to increase capacity in tanks and increase conveyance capacity of canals. Also vegetation (both floating and submerged are removed periodically, also to enhance the conveyance capacity of these canals). Canal banks especially in and around the parliament lake is managed to prevent overgrowth of grasses especially in the Parliament lake, canals around the Kimbulawala paddy fields and Diyata Uyana area). Some of the canals are lined by Gabion walls, especially Heen ela marsh and

Page | 3 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Canals in the Nawala‐Nugegoda area in order to stabilize the banks. Gabion walls introduce a hard boundary that is not suitable for plant growth or aquatic fish species. Further this type of intervention creates deep and steep canal banks that makes it unsuitable for wading birds such as herons, egrets and storks. Also, canals around the Thalawathugoda Wetland Park has also been dredged and cleaned in order to enhance the conveyance capacity of these canals. Dredging also creates steep banks that make it unsuitable for wading birds.

Increasing the conveyance capacity of the canals can also result in changes in the hydrology of the wetlands that are directly linked to these canals such as reduction in the water level of these wetlands. This in turn can change the abundance and composition of aquatic species that inhabit the wetland which can change the usage of these wetlands by more mobile species such as birds that feed on aquatic species. Further increased drainage of wetlands could make them more susceptible to invasion by alien invasive species such as Annona glabra as has been observed in Talangama tank and Bellanwila‐Attidiya Sanctuary.

The wetlands in CMR, even though located in a highly urban setting still supports a rich biodiversity including many endemic and threatened species. These wetlands also provide many other ecosystem services which make these wetlands very valuable. However, these wetlands are subjected to rapid change due to various drivers that operate on them and lack of a planned management approach. Therefore, adoption and implementation of an overall wetland management strategy is a timely need if we wish to accrue the benefits provided by these wetlands in the long run.

Page | 4 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area 1 INTRODUCTION

The Colombo Metropolitan Region (CMR) is endowed with a system of wetlands that comprise of a diverse array of wetland types such as manmade lakes, canals, paddy fields, abandoned paddy lands and marshes. These wetlands play number of important functions such as storage of rainwater, particularly during heavy monsoon seasons and thereby functioning as flood retention areas, provide opportunities for recreation, provision of food in the form of freshwater fish and other aquatic vegetation, fuel wood and functioning as cattle grazing sites (Hettiarachchi, 2008; Mohri et al., 2013; Samarasinghe & Dayawansa, 2013).

With the development of the city of Colombo and its suburbs, the wetlands have been increasingly encroached or being reclaimed to support other development activities (Samarasinghe & Dayawansa, 2013). However, most of these wetlands play an important role in providing essential ecosystem services to the rapidly growing city and have the potential to be mobilized as green infrastructure for recreational purposes and future climate‐change resilience. While capable of functioning as flood storage areas, these wetlands also provide a range of additional ecosystem services such as water quality improvement, cooling the city, functioning as a refugia and critical corridors for a diverse array of wildlife that inhabit the CMR, functioning as recreational areas within the city of Colombo, provide other provisional services such as food, fuel wood, timber and grazing opportunities for cattle. Benefits such as these are often unseen, and their value becomes apparent only when they are lost.

A study conducted by Marawila and Thibbotuwawa (2010) has estimated the recreational value of Diyawanna Oya wetlands alone to be around 3,890 million Rupees (UDS 35 million) per anum. This is approximately about 1/3rd the value of the land should the wetland be converted and used for development. However, this study has focused only on the recreational value and if all other services are taken into consideration the value of the wetland is likely to be much higher than the value that can be derived by converting the wetland to an alternate use. However, in Diyawannawa alone more than 50% of the wetland area has been lost during the last three decades (Marawila & Thibbotuwawa, 2010) as a result of reclamation of the marsh and encroachment.

Therefore, it is important to conserve and manage these urban wetlands within the CMR in a sustainable manner as an integral part of the on‐going development activities in the city, so that both activities can be carried out simultaneously and complement each other. Therefore, the Wetland Management Unit (WMU) of the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLR&DC) has undertaken to develop a Wetland Management Strategy (WMS) for Page | 5 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area the wetlands in the CMR to guide future management of the wetland areas within the CMR in a sustainable and climate‐resilient manner. This study was undertaken as a sub project within the WMS to document baseline ecological conditions of the wetlands within the CMR in order to assist the development of WMS as well as to support future monitoring of biodiversity in the wetlands of the CMR.

The specific objectives of the study are • To review existing data sources and collate all available information pertaining to ecological resources of the wetlands within the CMR • To establish baseline biodiversity inventories for the major wetland units identified within the CMR providing detailed lists of fauna and flora per site with their distribution and conservation status and identify the critical species inhabiting the wetlands with the CMR • To describe the different types of wetland habitats present within the CMR and to identify critical wetland habitats in accordance with Worldbanks1 performance standards. • Provide training to the relevant staff in the WMU of the SLLR&DC on undertaking wetland surveys.

1 A critical habitat is defined here as an protected area officially declared or proposed by the government, area initially recognized as protected by traditional local communities, a site that maintain conditions vital for the viability of these protected areas, area with known high suitability for bio‐diversity conservation, a site that is critical for the survival of rare, vulnerable, migratory, or endangered species (according to the definition given in Worldbank Operational Policy 4.04 revised on April 2013). Page | 6 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area 2 METHODOLOGY

Literature Review The existing data on biodiversity were reviewed. Three data sources were identified (two studies done on Talangama Tank and Biodiversity Park respectively by the Field Ornithological Group of Sri Lanka and the IEE report prepared by the National Building research Organization for the Diyawanna Oya Golf Course). The data extracted from these secondary sources are summarized in Annex 2.

Field survey The field survey was carried out to obtain data to address identified information gaps pertaining to the biodiversity in the project area. The survey was conducted between 1st April 2015 and 30th June 2015. During this period 30 days of sampling were carried out including 7 night‐time transects (sampling effort is approximately 300 hours of day time sampling and 30 hours of night time sampling).

During the field survey, standard biodiversity sampling methods were used to document the biological resources (habitats, flora, and fauna) present in the identified sampling sites (Table 1).

Table 1: Summary of sampling techniques used for the biodiversity baseline survey

Group/ Taxa Method Technique Fish Direct Hand and cast netting, stream bank observations, examining fish catches of the local fishermen Amphibians Direct 5m x 100m belt transect, Visual Encounter Survey Reptiles Direct 5m x 100m belt transect, Visual Encounter Survey Birds Direct and 20m circular spot counts along the 100m transects with indirect 60m intervals (visual & auditory observations) Mammals Direct and 5m x 100m belt transects (tracks, faecal matter, feeding indirect signs, calls, nests etc.) Butterflies Direct 5m x 100m belt transect, Visual Encounter Survey Dragonflies Direct 5m x 100m belt transect, Visual Encounter Survey Land snails Terrestrial 5m x 100m belt transect, Visual Encounter Survey Aquatic Using hand nets and cast nets and visual encounter survey Flowering plants 5m x 100m belt transect, Visual Encounter Survey

Page | 7 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area The sampling methods were designed to capture as much information as possible on the biological resources present in the project area within the shortest possible time. Both day‐time and night‐ time transects were carried out to capture temporal variations in diversity. The data collected using the standard techniques were supplemented with opportunistic data gathered during the field surveys.

Altogether nine taxonomic groups were chosen for the study, which included flowering plants, dragon flies, butterflies, snails (both terrestrial and aquatic), fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The survey team comprised of field biologists assigned for each of the identified taxa and the sampling was conducted by the entire team at each identified sampling site so that information on all nine taxonomic groups chosen was recorded for each site. The transects that were used for the flowering plants was used by the faunal survey group so that faunal data could be analysed against vegetation data to identify any correlates between fauna and flora (see map 1 for the locations of sampling points for the biodiversity baseline survey and Annex 2 for the details regarding each of the 50 sampling locations).

Map 1. The distribution of sampling locations within the CMR

Mapse showing th distribution of wetland species from the field surveys are shown in Annex 5.

Page | 8 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Selection of sampling sites and sampling frequency Wetlands within the CMR is scattered over an area of approximately 200 square Km. These wetlands exist as individual units separated by built up areas but interconnected through a system of canals. First, a two day reconnaissance survey was carried out by the Ecologist with field botanist within the study area to identify the major wetland habitats present. Thereafter, 50 sampling sites were selected for the detailed biodiversity survey (see annex 2 for the details regarding each sampling location). Site selection for sampling was based on two major criteria. 1. The extent of the wetland unit and habitat diversity: Sampling effort per wetland unit was increased with the extent and habitat diversity 2. As much as possible sampling sites were overlapped with the sites selected for water sampling in order to identify correlates with biodiversity and water quality where possible

Within each sampling location short transects (5 x 100 m) were carried out within each of the major wetland habitat types present in order to capture maximum diversity as well as to collect data by habitat to enable further analysis of data to identify species‐habitat relationships. Within each transect, data on different taxonomic groups were gathered using the methods specified in Table 1.

For the purpose of analysis data generated in sampling sites that are located within a single wetland unit was pooled and presented in this report. Altogether 15 wetland units were identified based on their physical separation from one another (Map 2) and the sampling sites that are falling within each wetland unit is shown in Table 2.

Page | 9 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area

Table 2. The 15 wetland units and the sampling locations

Wetland Unit Code Sample Locations Malabe Marshes MA 1, 10, 11 Mulleriyawa Marshes MU 2, 9, 12 Talangama Tank Marshes TA 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Beddagana (Kotte) Marshes BA 13 Kimbulawala KM 14 Wetland Park TW 15, 16 Bird Park BD 17, 18 Polwatta Road Marsh PO 19 Parliament Road Marsh PL 20, 47 Thalawathugoda Marshes WT 21, 22 Kolonnawa Marshes KO 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 Diyata Uyana Marshes DA 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 Nawala (Heen ela) Marshes NA 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 Weli Park Marshes WA 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 Madinnagoda Marshes MD 48, 49, 50

Page | 10 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area

MD MA

NA TA PL

BA WT

TW WA BD

Map 2. The 15 wetland units used for analysis of data

Abbreviations used: MA ‐ Malabe Marsh, MU ‐ Mulleriyawa Marsh, TA ‐ Talangama Tank, BA ‐ Beddagana (Kotte) Marsh, KM ‐ Kimbulawala, TW ‐ Thalawathugoda Wetland Park, BD ‐ Bird Park, PO ‐ Polwatta Road Marsh, PL ‐ Parliament Road Marsh, WT ‐ Thalawathugoda Marsh, KO ‐ Kolonnawa Marsh, DA ‐ Diyata Uyana Marsh, NA ‐ Nawala (Heen ela) Marsh, WA ‐ Weli Park Marsh, MD ‐ Madinnagoda Marsh

Species identification, classification and nomenclature Identification of fauna and flora Identification of plants and animals was based on the latest standard published field guides and keys available in Sri Lanka. In addition, specimens deposited in the National Herbarium and the National Museum was referred to for the authentication of species when identity could not be ascertained using standard guides or keys. The key references that were used for the identification of flora and fauna are listed below. Nomenclature and the conservation status of the species were determined according to the latest IUCN lists of threatened fauna and flora.

Page | 11 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area 1. Identification of flora Dassanayake, M. D. and Fosberg, F. R. (eds.) (1980). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon, Vol. I, Amerind Publishing, New Delhi; Dassanayake, M. D. and Fosberg, F. R. (eds.) (1981 ‐ 1991). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon, Vols. II ‐ VII, Oxford & IBH Publishing, New Delhi; Dassanayake, M. D., Fosberg, F. R. and Clayton, W. D. (eds.) (1994 ‐ 1995). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon, Vols. VIII ‐ IX, Oxford & IBH Publishing, New Delhi; Dassanayake, M. D. and Clayton, W. D. (eds.) (1996 ‐ 2000). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon, Vols. X – XIV, Oxford & IBH Publishing, New Delhi; Dassanayake, M. D., Clayton, W. D. and Shaffer‐Fehre, M. (eds.) (2006). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon, Vols. XV Part A & Part B, Science Publishers, USA. 2. Identification of fauna Bedjanic, M., Conniff, K. & G. de S. Wijeyeratne (2007). Dragonflies of Sri Lanka. Jetwing Eco holidadays.248p. d’ Abrera B., (1998). The Butterflies of Ceylon, wildlife Heritage trust, Sri Lanka Das, I. & Anslem de Silva. (2005). Photographic guide to snakes and other reptiles of Sri Lanka. New Holland Publishers, UK. Ltd. 144 pp. Goonatilake, S. de A. (2007). Freshwater Fishes of Sri Lanka. (Sinhala text) Biodiversity Secretariat, Ministry of Environment and natural Resources. 134p. Harrison, J. (1999). A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka. Oxford University Press. Manamendra‐Arachchi, K. and Pethiyagoda, R. (2006). Amphibians of Sri tLanka. (tex in Sinhala). Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka. 440p.+ 88pls. Phillips, W.W.A. (1935). Manual of the Mammals of Ceylon. Ceylon Journal of Science, Dulau and Company, London. 3. Taxonomic nomenclature of fauna and flora MOE (2012).The National Red List 2012 of Sri Lanka; Conservation Status of the Fauna and Flora. Ministry of Environment, Colombo, Sri Lanka. viii + 476pp 4. The Global and National conservation status of the species IUCN (2015). The list of threatened species. WWW.IUCN.redlist.org MOE (2012).The National Red List 2012 of Sri Lanka; Conservation Status of the Fauna and Flora. Ministry of Environment, Colombo, Sri Lanka. viii + 476pp

Page | 12 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area 3 OVERVIEW OF THE HABITATS

The wetland habitats found within CMR can de described as a mosaic with number of different habitat types found intermixed with one another creating various ecotones. The wetlands can be broadly categorized in to five major types based on the vegetation, tree dominated wetlands (woodlands), herb dominated wetlands (Marshes), water bodies with submerged or floating vegetation, open water bodies and tree dominated terrestrial habitats present at the edge of the wetlands. The tree dominated and herb dominated wetlands can be further categorized based on the vegetation structure and composition. Therefore, altogether seven main vegetation types were identified within and in association with the wetlands that occur in the CMR. These include 1. Herb dominated Low Vegetation 2. Herb dominated High Vegetation 3. Annona Woodland 4. Mixed Woodland 5. Water with Floating Vegetation 6. Open Water 7. Highland Vegetation associated with wetlands

A brief description of these vegetation types along with the dominant faunal assemblages observed with these vegetation types are given below.

Herb dominated Low Vegetation This is the most common habitat type encountered within the wetlands present in the CMR. The habitat is dominated by low grasses and forbs and retains water most of the time. Paddy cultivated lands, also can be classified under this category where the vegetation is dominated by a single species Oryza sativa with various weed species such as Isachne globosa, Fimbristylis miliacea, Panicum repens, Cyperus iria, Echinochloa colonum, Commelina diffusa and Ludwigia perennis occurring either within the paddy cultivated area, bunds in the paddy fields or irrigation canals within the paddy cultivated area. The bio‐physical attributes of areas that are under rice cultivation are subjected to marked seasonal changes owing to their management such as land preparation, planting, early growth, late growth and fallow period. In each stage the food abundance change and consequently faunal assemblage associated with paddy lands show a marked transition. During the land preparation period the Paddy fields are frequented by herons, egrets and ibises who feed on worms and insects surfaced due to turning over of the soil. The planting season favours mostly granivorous guilds such as pigeons, munias and rats that feed on rice seeds that are planted. During the early growth period the paddy field is maintained under few inches of water that favours Page | 13 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area aquatic insects, freshwater fish, frogs, crabs and insects that feed on various parts of rice which in turn attracts spiders, water snakes and birds such as herons, egrets, stilts, ibises, kingfishers, prinias and bee‐eaters. The late growth period again favours granivorus guilds that feed on maturing rice seed. Finally the fallow season between periods of cultivation favours once again insect eating and fish eating guilds.

Areas that are under paddy are not cultivated during every possible cultivation season. Some paddy lands are cultivated twice a year, some annually and some areas are cultivated once in several years. There are oals paddy lands that are abandoned and left in that state for many years. This will lead to a more stable habitat as depicted below where the vegetation is more diversified compared to a paddy land and land does not undergo marked seasonal changes. However, since the land is not managed during the fallow season these areas slowly undergo ecological succession and if left undisturbed will convert into woodlands as can be seen in some wetlands. The rate of change depends on the amount of sedimentation and the hydrology where increased rate of sedimentation or rapid drainage favouring the ecological succession as it will speed up the rate of colonization of the wetland by more semi aquatic and water tolerant tree species. The faunal assemblage found in this type of landscape tends to be less variable throughout the year as compared to paddy‐cultivated areas.

These types of habitat can be seen mostly in the periphery of the CMR especially in Malabe, Pannipitiya and Madiwela areas. This type of habitat is also created in tanks such as the Talangama tank and Averihena tank due to siltation of the tank bed creating conditions conducive for growth of grass and reeds. The vegetation comprise of species such as Colocasia esculenta, Cyperus spp., Eleocharis spp., Fimbristylis spp., Rhynchospora corymbosa, Scleria poaeformis, Limnocharis flava, Ludwigia perennis, Ludwigia peruviana, Panicum repens, Persicaria attenuata, Actinoscirpus grossus, Hanguana malayana and Cyclosorus interruptus. This habitat functions as ideal feeding grounds for birds such as whistling ducks, ibises, herons, egrets and storks.

Page | 14 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area

Herb dominated High Vegetation This is a habitat that may arise in some of the abandoned paddy cultivated lands that are left undisturbed for many years allowing ecological succession to take place. This vegetation type was observed mostly in areas where the lands adjacent to the wetlands are occupied by underprivileged communities with poor sanitary facilities. Therefore, these wetlands are subjected to high level of eutrophication resulting from mostly release of raw sewage into wetlands by inhabitants next to the wetlands. The landscape will transform the previous type, herb dominated low vegetation to this type, as the short grass is replaced by tall grasses and reeds through successional processes and eventually converted into woodlands. This type of habitat can be seen in the northern region of the CMR around Wellampitiya where the vegetation is dominated by the tall Grass species Pharagmites karka. The vegetation as can be seen in the pictures below comprise of tall and thick growth of grass making it almost impenetrable for larger species of fauna. This creates ideal conditions for shy cryptic bird species such as bitterns and prinias as well as mammals such as fishing cats, porcupines and rabbits.

Page | 15 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area

Annona Woodlands This type of habitats were found scattered throughout the CMR, but were more common in the central region such as Thalawathugoda, Madiwela, Kotte, Nawala, Kollonnawa, Talangama etc., especially in the small islands that are found scattered in this region. The habitat is dominated by the single tree species, Annona glabra, which is an invasive alien plant. The understorey of this habitat contains various herbaceous plant species such as Acrostichum aureum, Monochoria vaginalis (Diya habarala), Ludwigia perennis (Piduruwella), Ludwigia peruviana, Rhynchospora corymbosa, Commelina diffusa (Gira pala), Lasia spinosa (Kohila), Colocasia esculenta (Gahala) and climbers such as Mikania cordata (Wathu palu), Pothos scandens (Pota wel), Lygodium microphyllum (Pamba wel). This habitat serves as roosting and breeding sites for aquatic birds (e.g. Annona woodlands in Talangama tank), day time resting places for cryptic nocturnal animals such as fishing cats and porcupines, major habitat for shade preferring species such as land snails and some species of butterflies. The critically endangered plant species Aganope heptaphylla was also observed in an Annona woodland in the Beddagana Biodiversity Park. In addition, three other threatened species Hypolytrum nemorum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Kurundu) and Areca concinna (Lenteri Puwak) was observed within Annona woodlands. However, none of these species are restricted to this vegetation type.

Page | 16 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area

Mixed Woodland This habitat is somewhat similar to previous type. However, the vegetation comprise of a mixture of tree species such as, Annona glabra, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Pandanus kaida, Syzygium caryophyllatum, Cerbera odollam, Areca concinna and Barringtonia racemosa. At a given site one of the species may be found more than the others. As in the case of Annona woodlands, the understorey of this habitat comprise of common semi aquatic herbs such as Acrostichum aureum, Monochoria vaginalis (Diya habarala), Ludwigia perennis (Piduruwella), Ludwigia peruviana, Rhynchospora corymbosa, Commelina diffusa (Gira pala), Lasia spinosa (Kohila) and Colocasia esculenta (Gahala). Further, climbers such as Mikania cordata (Wathu palu), Pothos scandens (Pota wel) and Lygodium microphyllum (Pamba wel) can be seen commonly in this habitat. As in the case of Annona woodlands number of threatened plants were observed in this vegetation type. These include the critically endangered plant species Aganope heptaphylla (recorded in the Kolonnawa Marsh) and three other threatened species Hypolytrum nemorum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Kurundu) and Areca concinna (Lenteri Puwak) was observed within mixed woodlands. This vegetation type was observed in Mulleriyawa, Malabe, Beddagana and Madiwela areas. As in the case of Annona woodlands, mixed woodlands also serve as an ideal habitat for cryptic mammals such as fishing cats

Page | 17 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area and porcupines. Further, these habitats function as roosting and breeding sites for aquatic birds such as herons, egrets, cormorants, ibises, storks and pelicans as can be seen at Weli Park in Nugegoda, Diyatha Uyana and Southwestern end of the Parliament lake near the Kimbulawala junction where large rookeries occur.

Water with Floating Vegetation This habitat was observed mostly in large standing water bodies such as Talangama tank, Averihena tank and water bodies in Kimbulawala area as well as small water bodies found scattered in the middle section of CMR around Jayawardenapura, Thalawathugoda and Pannipitiya. The vegetation found in this habitat comprise of species such as Aponogeton crispus, Pistia stratiotes, Ceratophyllum demersum, Ipomoea aquatica, Blyxa auberti, Hydrilla verticillata, Ottelia alismoides, Lemna perpusilla, Utricularia aurea, Nympoides spp., Nelumbo nucifera, Nymphaea spp., Ludwigia adscendens, Eichhornia crassipes and Salvinia molesta. The floating vegetation provides an ideal habitat for birds such as rallids and jacanids (moorhens, water hens, jacanas) as well as frogs and aquatic insects.

Page | 18 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area

Open Water The open water habitat can be further sub‐divided into standing open water bodies, such as lakes and ponds, and flowing open water bodies, such as canals. The standing water bodies are found scattered throughout the CMR. They vary in size from large lakes (such as the Parliament Lake, Diyatha Uyana Lake and Talangama tank) to small ponds less than 0.5 ha in extent. These standing open water bodies support aquatic bird species such as ducks, pelicans and cormorants that use the open waters while egrets, herons and storks use the littoral zone. Further, birds that can hunt on flight such as terns, kingfishers and bee‐eaters can also be seen commonly in this habitat. Further, standing water bodies are inhabited by endangered mammals such as fishing cats and otters.

Canals can be further subdivided into canals with sparse bank vegetation (in Kimbulawala, Heen ela and Thalawathugoda) where the banks are turfed with exotic grass varieties and managed regularly and canals with dense vegetation on the banks (in Mulleriyawa, Weli park and Madiwela) where the vegetation comprise mainly of species such as Bambusa vulgaris (Kaha una), Cerbera odollam (Gon kaduru), Pagiantha dichotoma (Divi kaduru), Terminalia arjuna (Kumbuk), Dillenia triquetra (Diya para), Syzygium caryophyllatum (Heen dan) Nauclea orientalis (Bakmi) and Hibiscus tiliaceus (Beli

Page | 19 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area patta) as can be seen in the picture below. Further, water in some canals have low turbidity allowing sunlight to penetrate to the bottom allowing the growth of submerged aquatic plants such as Nymphaea sp. (Rata olu), Aponogeton crispus (Kekatiya), Ipomoea aquatic (Kankun), Blyxa auberti (Diya hawari), Hydrilla verticillata (Halpenni), Nympoides indica (Kumudu), Nymphaea pubescens (Olu) and Utricularia aurea (Diya pasi) attached to the canal bed. The aquatic faunal species assemblage also changes accordingly. Some of the canals have water that has high sediment loads that prevent light penetration and therefore submerged vegetation is generally absent in these canals. Most of the time the vegetation within such canals is limited to floating plants such as Salvinia molesta (Salvinia), Pistia stratiotes (Diya parandel) and Eichhornia crassipes (Japan jabara), most of which are designated as Invasive alien species. Birds such as cormorants, herons, egrets, and storks frequent the canals. Canals with floating vegetation are preferred by rallids such as waterhens, moorhens and jacanas who are adapted to walk on such floating vegetation. The open water habitats are also ideal for kingfishers as four out of the six native species of kingfishers in Sri Lanka were found to be present in most of the wetlands found in the CMR.

From an ecological perspective these sub types will have to be treated as separate microhabitats as they have very different abiotic and biotic properties. Many of the open water wetlands are affected by floating invasive alien plant species Salvinia molesta (Salvinia) and Eichhornia crassipes (Japan jabara) to varying degrees. The floating vegetation mats created by these species favours birds such as rallids that use such floating vegetation mats for feeding and breeding. However, some open water bodies are completely covered by these species which takes away habitat of the species that prefer open water such as ducks, pelicans and cormorants.

Highland vegetation associated with wetlands

Page | 20 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area The vegetation that is found on the edge of the wetlands also can be considered as part of the wetlands as they create a unique ecotone that is inhabited by species that use both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. This habitat can be further sub divided based on the landuse such as home gardens, cultivated areas, abandoned lands etc., where each land use type support different species assemblages.

Management of wetland habitats Any given landscape, terrestrial or aquatic, is subjected to ecological succession that would drive that ecosystem towards the climax vegetation possible under the operating, physical, chemical, biological and climatic conditions. The wetland habitats due to its dynamic nature (high rate of influx and efflux and greater sensitivity to upstream or downstream changes as opposed to a terrestrial system) may undergo succession at a faster rate than a terrestrial landscape. Therefore, ecological succession can be equated to a series of frames that are changing over time and transition between frames will be defined by the rate of succession operating on the given landscape. A given frame will provide a set of ecological services and as the frames change the ecological services provided will also change accordingly. Ecosystem/ habitat management on the other hand, is a human construct, where a certain desired frame will be predetermined by man and attempt to freeze the landscape at the desired frame through various interventions in order to continuously enjoy a desired set of ecological services that can be provided by the given landscape. The level of management can vary from extensive to intensive depending on how much deviation from the desired frame is acceptable to those who wish to manage the landscape.

Out of the seven habitats described above, some are managed while others receive little or no management and therefore, are left undergo ecological succession. Most of the wetland habitats that are under paddy are managed by farmers who periodically plant paddy. Cultivation frequency varies across the CMR, where some paddy lands are cultivated twice a year (e.g. Kimbulawala paddy fields and paddy lands in Madiwela area) others are cultivated once a year or once in several years. As a consequence of cultivation, these paddy lands are prevented from undergoing succession. The canals and open water ways are managed by SLLR&DC for flood prevention. These include dredging to increase capacity in tanks and increase conveyance capacity of canals. Also vegetation (both floating and submerged are removed periodically, also to enhance the conveyance capacity of these canals). Canal banks especially in and around the parliament lake is managed to prevent overgrowth of grasses especially in the Parliament lake, canals around the Kimbulawala paddy fields and Diyata Uyana area. Some of the canals are lined by Gabion walls, especially Heen ela marsh and Canals in the Nawala‐Nugegoda area in order to stabilize the banks. This management prescription changes the bank characters as it introduces a hard boundary that is not suitable for plant growth or aquatic

Page | 21 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area fish species. Further this type of intervention creates deep and steep canal banks that makes it unsuitable for wading birds such as herons, egrets and storks. Also, canals in the Thalawathugoda area around the Thalawathugoda wetland park has also been dredged and cleaned in order to enhance the conveyance capacity of these canals. Dredging canal banks also creates steep banks that have a similar effect to establishing gabion walls along canal banks.

Another management activity that has been undertaken is removal of alien invasive plants such as Annona glabra, Salvenia molesta and Eichornia crassipes in order to improve capacity of standing water bodies such as Talangama tank, Kolonnawa marsh and Thalawathugoda tank or to increase the conveyance capacity of canals. These types of activities are carried out periodically across the wetlands in the CMR. However, a methodical approach is needed to manage the invasive species for the entire wetland complex in. the CMR Ideally, separate management plans should be developed for each of the identified invasive species as management prescriptions are not common for all the species concerned. In the absence of such a planned approach these activities will not lead to an effective outcome. Further, some of the faunal species, especially birds have become adapted to use these invasive plants as roosting, breeding and feeding grounds and therefore removal of these alien invasive plant species will have to be followed with replacement of some of these services using suitable native plant species.

Highland vegetation found within the boundaries of the wetlands is managed by the inhabitants of these lands. Once again there is opportunity to work with the land owners to introduce plant species into these highlands that are either native to Colombo wetlands or plants that can support the wetland species such as introduction of native plants that can function as food trees or roosting trees for birds and butterflies.

Critical Habitats found within the CMR according to Worldbank Criteria In order to identify whether any of the wetlands within the CMR qualify as a critical habitat an analysis was done against the criteria that are presented below that defines a critical habitat.

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There are many criteria that can be used to define a critical habitat. However, for the purpose of this analysis the definition used for a critical habitat by the Worldbank Safeguard policy statement (REF) was used, according to which a critical habitat includes; • protected areas officially declared or proposed eby th government, • areas initially recognized as protected by traditional local communities, • a site that maintains conditions vital for the viability of these protected areas, • areas with known high suitability for biodiversity conservation, and • sites that is critical for the survival of rare, vulnerable, migratory, or endangered species.

Protected areas officially declared or proposed by the Government Two wetland sites, Sri Jawardenapura‐kotte and Talangama Tank, within the CMR have been designated as protected areas under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance and National Environment act respectively. Both of these sites support high species (both fauna and flora) diversity, which has been the reason for the designation of these two sites as protected areas. Therefore, these two sites should be considered as critical habitats.

Areas initially recognized as protected by traditional local communities None of the wetlands within the CMR falls into this category and therefore this criterion does not apply.

A site that maintains conditions vital for the viability of these protected areas Even though the two protected areas listed above are connected to number of wetlands that surrounds them and therefore are influenced by changes in these wetlands none of these wetlands will have a significant impact on the viability of these protected areas.

Areas with known high suitability for biodiversity conservation A number of wetlands within the CMR such as Beddagana biodiversity Park, Thalawathugoda Wetland Park, Malabe Marsh, Weli Park marsh, Mulleriyawa Marsh and Kolonnawa Marsh that are not designated as protected areas support high species diversity including endemic and threatened species (Table 3).

Table 3. Overview of the species richness of the 15 wetland units Main Sampling Unit Species Richness Endemic Threatened Species NT Flora Fauna Species CR EN VU

Page | 23 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Beddagana (Kotte) Marshes 141 129 18 2 8 10 10 Talangama Tank Marshes 110 174 19 0 4 5 10 Wetland Park 91 166 21 1 5 3 11 Malabe Marshes 66 140 19 0 5 6 6 Weli Park Marshes 101 121 7 0 3 5 8 Mulleriyawa Marshes 89 97 11 0 4 6 6 Kolonnawa Marshes 85 139 12 1 3 4 9 Diyata Uyana Marshes 89 121 8 1 4 3 3 Madinnagoda Marshes 66 62 9 0 4 2 2 Parliament Road Marsh 62 107 8 0 5 1 5 Nawala (Heen ela) Marshes 59 107 7 0 2 3 6 Kimbulawala Marsh 45 109 12 0 2 2 4 Thalawathugoda Marshes 39 48 3 0 1 0 1 Bird Park 36 67 8 1 2 0 3 Polwatta Road Marsh 9 76 2 0 0 0 0

Therefore, these sites can be considered as desirable sites for biodiversity conservation even though none of these habitats are critically important for the survival of any of these species. Already Beddagana and Thalawatugoda Wetland Park are managed as demonstration sites by UDA and SLLR&DC respectively. Therefore, if further demonstration sites are to be setup Malabe, Mulleriyawa and Kolonnawa wetlands are suitable for such a purpose considering the species richness of these sites.

Site that is critical for the survival of rare, vulnerable, migratory, or endangered species The Beddagana Biodiversity Park and Kolonnawa Marsh supports a Critically Endangered plant species that is native to Sri Lanka, Aganope heptaphylla, which are two out of the three known sites where this species is recorded in Sri Lanka at present. The plant was recorded among an Annona woodland in Beddagana and a mixed woodland in Kolonnawa which indicates that the species prefer woodland type of vegetation. In both instances the plant was recorded in a site that is located above the inundation area. It should be noted that this plant species is not endemic to Sri Lanka but occurs in other Asian countries as well and therefore survival of the species in a global sense will not depend on these two sites. However, these two sites support a substantial proportion of the Sri Lankan population of this plant (exact population size of the plant is unknown) and therefore can be considered as critical sites for the survival of this species in Sri Lanka. In addition to this plant, a number of threatened plant and animal species were recorded (refer table 8 and 20 for detailed list of threatened plants and animal recorded respectively) in several sites such as Beddagana Page | 24 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Biodiversity Park, Thalawathugoda Wetland Park, Talangama tank, Mulleriyawa marsh, Malabe marsh, Kolonnawa marsh, Diyatha Uyana and Weli park marsh.

An area having special significance for endemic or restricted‐range species Altogether 41 species of endemic plants and animals were recorded in the wetlands surveyed within the CMR. None of these species are listed as restricted range species. Therefore, these wetlands are not critically important for the long‐term survival of any of the endemic species recorded.

A site that is critical for the survival of migratory species The wetlands and associated highland vegetation is inhabited by approximately 10% (more than 25 species) of the birds that are listed as regular migrants to Sri Lanka. However, only small proportion of the population of migrant birds use these wetlands compared to some of the coastal habitats present in the northern, eastern and southern region of the country. Therefore the wetlands and the associated terrestrial habitats in the CMR do not function as a critical habitat for migrant birds.

Identification of Critical Habitats based on the survey results Since this was a rapid survey only qualitative data were collected. Therefore, the habitat quality assessment was based on two rather coarse criteria as stated below 1. Overall species richness and number of endemic and threatened species present ‐ the quality was considered to be directly proportional to overall species richness and number of endemic and threatened species present as the ability to support higher number of species as well as more sensitive endemic and threatened species can be considered as an indicator of a better quality habitat. 2. The number of exotic and invasive species present ‐ habitat quality is generally considered to be inversely proportional to the number of exotic and invasive species present as both exotic and invasive species are an indirect indicator of habitat disturbance. However, a high number of invasive species were observed in sites that supported rich species assemblages. In the absence of baseline data sets it is not possible to determine whether the species richness of these sites have actually undergone a decline after the invasive species have established in these sites. Only wetland site in the Colombo region that can be used as a proxy to answer this question is Bellanwila‐Attidiya marsh which has robust baseline data sets and is now affected by same type of invasive alien species (both invasive fauna and flora). Bellanwila‐Attidiya has been gradually infested with invasive alien species over a period of roughly 20 years. The number of species recorded in Bellanwila‐Attidiya has gradually declined during this period even though the site still supports a rich species assemblage. Therefore, it is possible that some of the sites that

Page | 25 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area support high species richness at present, may undergo a similar decline in the future if the invasive alien species are allowed to spread without proper management.

An overview of the flora and Fauna observed in the 15 major wetland sites surveyed is shown in table 4 and 5 while the number of exotic and alien invasive species recorded at each of the 15 major sites is shown in table 6.

Table 4. Overview of the flora observed at each of the 15 main wetland sites Main Sampling Unit Species Endemic Threatened Species Near Richness Species CR EN VU Threatened Beddagana (Kotte) Marshes 141 6 1 2 5 5 Talangama Tank Marshes 110 3 0 1 2 5 Weli Park Marshes 101 1 0 0 3 4 Wetland Park 91 4 0 1 2 3 Mulleriyawa Marshes 89 5 0 1 4 5 Diyata Uyana Marshes 89 1 0 0 2 2 Kolonnawa Marshes 85 6 1 1 2 5 Malabe Marshes 66 4 0 1 1 3 Madinnagoda Marshes 66 4 0 1 2 2 Parliament Road Marsh 62 3 0 1 1 2 Nawala (Heen ela) Marshes 59 2 0 1 2 3 Kimbulawala Marsh 45 0 0 0 1 1 Thalawathugoda Marshes 39 0 0 0 0 0 Bird Park 36 1 0 0 0 1 Polwatta Road Marsh 9 0 0 0 0 0

Abbreviations used: CR ‐ Critically Endangered, EN ‐ Endangered, VU ‐ Vulnerable

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Table 5. Overview of the fauna observed at each of the 15 main wetland sites Main Sampling Unit Species Endemic Threatened Species Near Richness Species CR EN VU Threatened Talangama Tank Marshes 174 16 0 3 3 5 Wetland Park 166 17 1 4 1 8 Malabe Marshes 140 15 0 4 5 3 Kolonnawa Marshes 139 6 0 2 2 4 Beddagana (Kotte) Marshes 129 12 1 6 5 5 Diyata Uyana Marshes 121 7 1 4 1 1 Weli Park Marshes 121 6 0 3 2 4 Kimbulawala Marsh 109 12 0 2 1 3 Parliament Road Marsh 107 5 0 4 0 3 Nawala (Heen ela) Marshes 107 5 0 1 1 3 Mulleriyawa Marshes 97 6 0 3 2 1 Polwatta Road Marsh 76 2 0 0 0 0 Bird Park 67 7 1 2 0 2 Madinnagoda Marshes 62 5 0 3 0 0 Thalawathugoda Marshes 48 3 0 1 0 1

Almost all the sites surveyed are disturbed to some degree due to encroachment, dredging, eutrophication, changes in the hydrology etc,. Further, between 15‐20% of the species recorded in each site are exotic species which have been introduced by humans either intentionally or accidentally in to these wetlands. Some of the introduced species are listed as alien invasive species at National level (Silva and Kurukulasuriya, 2010; Wijesundara, 2010). All the 15 sites surveyed are affected by alien invasive species to varying degrees as can be seen in Table 6.

Page | 27 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Table 6. The number of exotic and invasive alien species observed Main Sampling Unit Species Richness Exotic Exotic Invasive Invasive Flora Fauna Flora Fauna Flora Fauna Beddagana (Kotte) Marshes 141 129 39 7 8 4 Talangama Tank Marshes 110 174 37 8 7 3 Weli Park Marshes 101 121 28 9 7 6 Wetland Park 91 166 24 11 7 6 Mulleriyawa Marshes 89 97 14 4 6 2 Diyata Uyana Marshes 89 121 13 10 3 5 Kolonnawa Marshes 85 139 13 8 3 6 Malabe Marshes 66 140 15 6 1 2 Madinnagoda Marshes 66 62 19 5 6 4 Parliament Road Marsh 62 107 18 5 3 3 Nawala (Heen ela) Marshes 59 107 16 10 4 6 Kimbulawala Marsh 45 109 17 9 3 4 Thalawathugoda Marshes 39 48 13 3 5 2 Bird Park 36 67 10 8 2 5 Polwatta Road Marsh 9 76 2 3 1 3

When the overall biodiversity is considered Beddagana Biodiversity Park, Thalawathugoda Wetland Park, Talangama tank, Malabe Marsh, Mulleriyawa Marsh, Kolonnawa marsh, Weli Park and Diyata Uyana are the sites that support high level of biodiversity including endemic and threatened species. However, these sites are also influenced to a high degree by exotic and invasive species. Therefore, future management should aim to address this threat by selectively replacing the exotic and alien invasive species with native and preferably endemic and threatened species. Out of these sites, Talangama tank, Beddagana, Thalawathugoda Wetland Park, Weli Park and Diyata Uyana receive some degree of protection as these sites are developed and managed as recreational areas and therefore more attention will be given to managing these sites in the future. The Mulleriyawa, Malabe and Kolonnawa marshes also have the potential to be developed for biodiversity conservation as the key management target since these sites support a rich species assemblage (both fauna and flora). The wetlands in the southern and south western region as well as the northwestern region of the CMR wetlands do not support high biodiversity as these sites are managed as paddy cultivated lands that has a low habitat complexity and therefore supports fewer niches compared to wetlands that exist as marsh‐woodland habitat mosaics that provide a diverse set of microhabitat supporting a rich species assemblage.

Page | 28 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area 4 OVERVIEW OF THE FLORA

A total number of 252 plant species including 9 endemic, 9 nationally threatened and 11 nationally near threatened plant species were recorded from the wetlands in the CMR during the field survey (Table 7). Majority of the plant species recorded are herbaceous species (93) followed by trees (90) climbers (38), shrubs (27) and epiphytes (4). Further, about 30% of the recoded plant species are exotic to the country indicating that the vegetation in these wetlands is highly disturbed by human activities such as changes in hydrology, dredging, introduction of exotic species etc.,. Further, these exotic species included eleven plants that are dliste as Alien Invasive Species (AIS) in Sri Lanka (Wijesundara, 2010). A detailed list of the plant species recorded in the 15 major wetlands is given in annex 3.

Table 7. Summary of the plant species recorded in the Wetlands of the CMR Plant Type Total Endemic Native Exotic CR EN VU NT Tree 90 7 57 26 0 2 2 6 Shrub 27 1 18 8 0 0 1 0 Herb 93 0 64 29 0 0 3 3 Epiphyte 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 Climber 38 1 27 10 1 0 0 2 Total 252 9 (3%) 170 (68%) 73 (29%) 1 2 6 11

Abbreviations used: CR ‐ Critically Endangered, EN ‐ Endangered, VU ‐ Vulnerable, DD ‐ Data Deficient, NT ‐ Near Threatened

Critical Plant Species observed There are many criteria that can be used to define critical species. For the purpose of this report, species observed in the wetlands surveyed that are listed as threatened, either globally (IUCN, 2015) or nationally (MoE, 2012) will be considered as a critical species as criteria used for evaluating conservation status of a species (IUCN redlisting criteria) fulfils many of the criteria used for defining a critical species. Accordingly, nine species of plants out of the 252 plant species recorded can be classified as critical species.

Page | 29 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area This included a native woody climber, Aganope heptaphylla that is very rare in Sri Lanka and therefore listed as a Critically Endangered (CR) species in the 2012 National Redlist. In addition, another two Endangered (EN) plant species, Garcinia terpnophylla and Areca concinna (Lenteri Puwak) were recorded during the study. Six species listed as Vulnerable (VU), Quassia indica (Samadara), Ficus heterophylla (Wal Ehetu), Aponogeton crispus (Kekatiya), Hypolytrum nemorum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Kurundu) and Nymphaea nouchali (Mantel) was also recorded during the study. In addition to above, another eleven species listed as Near Threatened (NT) plants were also recorded. A total of nine endemic plant species were recorded within metro Colombo wetland area as well. A detailed list of endemic and threatened species recorded in the wetlands is shown in table 8.

Table 8. The list of threatened and endemic species recorded in the wetlands within the CMR. Family Scientific Name Common Name HA TS NCS Fabaceae Aganope heptaphylla C N CR Arecaceae Areca concinna Lenteri Puwak T E EN Clusiaceae Garcinia terpnophylla T E EN Aponogetonaceae Aponogeton crispus Kekatiya H N VU Cyperaceae Hypolytrum nemorum H N VU Lauraceae Cinnamomum zeylanicum Kurundu T E VU Moraceae Ficus heterophylla Wal Ehetu S N VU Nymphaeaceae Nymphaea nouchali Mantel H N VU Simaroubaceae Quassia indica Samadara T N VU Apocynaceae Walidda antidysenterica Wal idda T E LC Clusiaceae Garcinia quaesita Rat Goraka T E LC Convolvulaceae Argyreia populifolia Giri Tilla C E LC Melastomataceae Memecylon sp. S E LC Moraceae Artocarpus nobilis Wal Del T E LC Phyllanthaceae Aporusa lanceolata Heen Kebella T E LC

Abbreviations used: HA ‐ Habit, TS ‐ Taxonomic Status, NCS ‐ National Conservation Status, T ‐ Tree, S ‐ Shrub, H ‐ Herbaceous, C ‐ Climber or Creeper, E‐ Endemic, N ‐ Native, CR‐ Critically Endangered, EN‐ Endangered, VU‐ Vulnerable, LC ‐ Least Concern

Page | 30 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Aganope heptaphylla (Native; Critically Endangered): This species is a woody climber and listed as a critically endangered species as previously there was only a single confirmed record in Batticaloa in the eastern province (MoE, 2012). During the present study this species was recorded at two sites Beddagana (sampling location 13) and Kolonnawa (sampling location 23). In Beddagana it was recorded in an Annona woodland while in Kolonnawa it was recorded in a mixed woodland. In both cases the plant was recorded above the water level in a highly shaded area.

Map 3. Distribution of Aganope heptaphylla (Red dots), Areca concinna (Yellow dots) and Garcinia terpnophylla (Blue dot) within the 50 sampling sites.

Page | 31 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Areca concinna (Lentheri Puwak (S), Endemic, Endangered): This species is a tree restricted to the Western Province of Sri Lanka. It has been listed as an endangered species as it has been recorded from few locations and has a small population size. During the present study this species was the most commonly found threatened species recorded from nine out of the 15 wetlands sites surveyed. These include Malabe (Sampling location 1), Mulleriyawa (Sampling location 2), Talangama (Sampling location 3), Beddagana (Sampling location 13), Wetland Park (Sampling location 16), Kolonnawa (Sampling location 23 and 24), Nawala (Sampling location 34), Parliament road (Sampling location 47) and Maddinnagoda (Sampling location 50). It was observed in three vegetation types, wetland associated highland vegetation (4 sampling locations), mixed woodlands (4 sampling locations) and Annona woodlands (2 sampling locations). In all cases it was recorded above the inundation area.

Garcinia terpnophylla (Endemic, Endangered): This tree species was listed as an endangered species due to its restricted distribution. During this survey it was recorded at a single sampling location (13) at the Beddagana Biodiversity Park. The plant was recorded among the highland vegetation associated with the wetland.

Page | 32 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Ficus heterophylla (Walehetu (S), Native Vulnerable): This shrub species was recorded only in the Mulleriyawa marsh (sampling location 2) in the highlands associated with the wetland.

Quassia indica (Samadara (S) Native Vulnerable): This tree species was recorded in a highland vegetation at Mulleriyawa (sampling location 2), Annona woodland at Beddagana (Sampling location 13) and a mixed woodland at Kolonnawa (Sampling location 23).

Page | 33 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Hypolytrum nemorum (Native; Vulnerable): this herbaceous species was recorded at Beddagana from an Annona woodland (Sampling location 13) and a mixed woodland at Nawala Heen ela Marsh (Sampling location 42)

In addition, three other vulnerable plant species was recorded during the survey. These include the native herbaceous species Nymphaea nouchali, an aquatic species observed only at Beddagana in an open water body; Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Kurundu), the endemic tree species recorded in Highland vegetation (Sampling locations 1, 2, 3, 13, 35 and 45), Annona woodlands (Sampling locations 13, 15, 20, 36 and 47) and Mixed Woodlands (Sampling locations 23, 24, 31, ,42, 43 48 and 50); Aponogeton crispus (Kekatiya), a native herbaceous species that occurs in coastal open waters such as tanks and canals which showed a wide distribution within the sampled wetlands (Sampling locations 2, 3, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 28, 29, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 49 and 50)

Page | 34 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Alien Invasive Plant Species: Altogether 11 invasive alien plant species (Wijesundara, 2010) were recorded in the wetlands surveyed.

Table 9. Alien invasive plant species recorded during the field survey. Scientific Name HA BA MU MA NA KM TW KO DA WA TA MD BD PO PL WT Annona glabra T + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Alstonia macrophylla T + + + + + + + + Chromolaena odorata S + + + Dillenia suffruticosa T + + + + + + Mimosa pigra S + + Clidemia hirta S + + Panicum maximum H + + + + + + + Pennisetum polystachion H + Eichhornia crassipes H + + + + + + + + + + + + Salvinia molesta H + + + + + + + + + + Lantana camara S + + + +

Abbreviations used: HA ‐ Habit, T ‐ Tree, S ‐ Shrub, H ‐ Herb, BA ‐ Beddagana, MU ‐ Mulleriyawa, MA ‐ Malabe, NA ‐ Nawala, KM ‐ Kimbulawala, TW ‐ Thalawathugoda Wetland park, KO ‐ Kolonnawa, DA ‐ Diyatha Uyana, WA ‐ Weli Park, TA ‐ Talangama, MD ‐ Madinnagoda, BD ‐ Bird park, PO ‐ Polwatta, PL ‐ Parliament road, WT ‐ Thalawathugoda tanks

Page | 35 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area 5 OVERVIEW OF THE FAUNA

A total number of 277 animal species including 32 endemic species were recorded during the field survey (Table 10). The birds observed at the study site included 9 species of migrants. However, since the survey was initiated towards the tail end of the migratory season it is likely that all the possible migratory species that inhabit wetlands and wetland associated highland vegetation was recorded in this study. This assumption is supported by the only available historical data sets for wetlands in the Colombo region (Beddagana Biodiversity Park, Diyatha Uyana and Talangama tank) where 25 species of migrant birds have been recorded (see Annex 1). The species recorded also included 18 threatened species (Critically Endangered (CR) ‐ 1, Endangered (EN) ‐ 11 and Vulnerable (VU) ‐ 6). Further, 18 species listed as Near Threatened (NT) and 5 species listed as Data Deficient (DD) were also recorded. The faunal species recorded included 14 species of introduced or exotic species which included 4 species of invasive alien fauna and 3 species of potentially invasive alien fauna listed for Sri Lanka (Silva and Kurukulasuriya, 2010). A summary of the animal species recorded during the field survey within all the wetland sites surveyed is given in Table 4. The detailed list of fauna recorded in the 15 major sampling locations, during the field survey is listed in Annex 4.

Table 10: Summary of the animal species recorded in the wetlands within the CMR

Taxonomic Conservation Status Total Endemic Exotic Group CR EN VU DD NT Land snails 11 5 4 1 3 0 1 1 Aquatic Snails 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Dragonflies 35 4 0 0 1 2 0 7 Butterflies 46 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 Freshwater fish 35 6 9 0 1 1 1 2 Amphibians 15 5 0 0 1 1 1 2 Reptiles 18 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 Birds 95 7 9* 0 0 0 1 5 Mammals 12 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 Total 277 32 14 1 11 6 5 18

Abbreviations used: CR ‐ Critically Endangered, EN ‐ Endangered, VU ‐ Vulnerable, DD ‐ Data Deficient, NT ‐ Near Threatened, * indicates migratory species

Page | 36 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Land Snails: A total of 11 species of land snails including five species that are endemic to Sri Lanka was recorded during the survey (Table 10). This also included 4 exotic species out of which Lissachatina fulica (Giant African snail) is listed as an alien invasive species for Sri Lanka.s Thi species was recorded in all wetlands except Malabe, Mulleriyawa and Thalawathugoda tanks. The highest species diversity was recorded in Beddagana Biodiversity park followed by Thalawathugoda wetland park and Talangama tank (Table 11).

Table 11. Summary of Land snail species recorded from the 15 wetland units surveyed. Wetland MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD

Total species 2 3 7 10 3 9 4 1 6 2 3 6 5 2 4

Endemic Sp. 0 0 1 5 0 3 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2

Threatened Sp. 0 0 1 4 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1

Exotic Sp. 2 2 4 3 2 4 2 1 3 0 1 3 3 1 1

Abbreviations used: MU ‐ Mulleriyawa, MA ‐ Malabe, TA ‐ Talangama, BA ‐ Beddagana, KM ‐ Kimbulawala, TW ‐ Thalawathugoda Wetland park, BD ‐ Bird park, PO ‐ Polwatta, PL ‐ Parliament road, WT ‐ Thalawathugoda tanks, KO ‐ Kolonnawa, DA ‐ Diyatha Uyana, , NA ‐ Nawala, WA ‐ Weli Park, MD – Madinnagoda.

Aquatic Snails: A total of 10 species of aquatic snails were recorded during the survey (Table 10). This also included 1 exotic species Pomacea diffusa (Golden Apple snail) that is listed as an Alien invasive species for Sri Lanka. This species was recorded in all the wetlands except Malabe, Mulleriyawa, Parliament road marsh and Talangama tank. The highest species diversity was recorded in Weli Park followed by Kolonnawa, Beddagana Biodiversity Park, Thalawathugoda wetland park, Malabe, Kimbulawala, Diyata uyana and Nawala (Table 12).

Table 12. Summary of Aquatic snail species recorded from the 15 wetland units surveyed. Wetland MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD

Total species 7 3 6 7 7 7 5 5 2 2 8 7 7 9 6

Endemic Sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Threatened Sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Exotic Sp. 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1

Page | 37 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Dragonflies: A total of 35 dragonfly species were recorded including four endemic species, three threatened species and seven near threatened species. Highest dragonfly diversity was recorded in the Thalawathugoda Wetland Park followed by Malabe marsh, Kolonnawa marsh and Talangama tank (Table13).

Table 13. Summary of dragonfly species recorded from the 15 wetland units surveyed. Wetland MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD

Total species 23 18 19 18 8 24 2 5 10 10 20 15 14 15 5

Endemic Sp. 4 1 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1

Threatened Sp. 4 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0

Exotic Sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Butterflies: A total of 46 species of butterflies including one species that is endemic to Sri Lanka was recorded during the survey (Table 10). This also included two threatened species and one near threatened species. The highest species diversity was recorded in Thalawathugoda Wetland Park followed by Malabe marsh; Kolonnawa marsh and Beddagana Biodiversity Park (Table 14).

Table 14. Summary of Butterfly species recorded from the 15 wetland units surveyed. Wetland MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD

Total species 25 12 17 20 5 35 2 5 18 5 25 17 7 8 13

Endemic Sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1

Threatened Sp. 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Exotic Sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Page | 38 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Freshwater fish: A total of 35 species of freshwater fish including six species that are endemic to Sri Lanka was recorded during the survey (Table 10). This also included two threatened species and two near threatened species. The freshwater fish assemblage included 9 exotic species out of which two species, Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus (Sucker mouth catfish), and Chitala ornate (Clown knife fish) are listed as Alien invasive species for Sri Lanka. In addition, Oreochromis mosambicus (Mozambique Tilapia), Oreochromis niloticus (Nile Tilapia) and Poecilia reticulata (Guppy) are also considered as potential invasive species in the wet zone of Sri Lanka. Both sucker mouth catfish and clown knife fish are recorded from Thalawathugoda Wetland Park, Beddagana Biodiversity Park, Kollonnawa, Diyawannawa, Nawala (Heen ela) and Weli Park indicating that there distribution is restricted to Kotte, Heen ela and Kolonnawa marsh complex that are interconnected by a system of canals. The highest species diversity was recorded in Talangama tank followed by Kimbulawala, Malabe, Talawathugoda Wetland park (Table 15).

Table 15. Summary of Freshwater fish species recorded from the 15 wetland units surveyed. Wetland MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Total species 20 13 28 13 23 18 17 8 9 12 14 15 11 15 7 Endemic Sp. 6 3 6 3 6 3 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 Threatened Sp. 2 1 2 2 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 Exotic Sp. 4 2 4 3 6 6 5 1 2 2 6 6 6 7 3

Amphibians: A total of 15 species of amphibians including five species that are endemic to Sri Lanka was recorded during the survey (Table 10). This also included two threatened species and two near threatened species. The highest species diversity was recorded in Talangama tank followed by Beddagana Biodiversity Park, Thalawathugoda Wetland Park and Diyatha Uyana (Table 16).

Table 16. Summary of Amphibian species recorded from the 15 wetland units surveyed. Wetland MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Total species 0 0 12 0 0 7 9 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 Endemic Sp. 0 0 3 0 0 4 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Threatened Sp. 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Exotic Sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Page | 39 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Reptiles: A total of 18 species of reptiles including three species that are endemic to Sri Lanka was recorded during the survey (Table 10). This also included two threatened species. The highest species diversity was recorded in Talangama tank followed by Beddagana Biodiversity Park, Thalawathugoda Wetland Park, Mulleriyawa marsh and Diyatha uyana (Table 17).

Table 17. Summary of Reptile species recorded from the 15 wetland units surveyed. Wetland MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD

Total species 5 7 9 3 6 8 8 1 3 1 3 7 5 3 1

Endemic Sp. 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Threatened Sp. 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0

Exotic Sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Birds: A total of 95 species of birds including seven species that are endemic to Sri Lanka was recorded during the survey (Table 10). This also included nine species that are listed as regular winter visitors to Sri Lanka. The wetlands in the CMR also support large populations of aquatic birds including several large rookeries located in Diyatha Uyana, Parliament Lake, Weli Park and Talangama Tank. Quantitative assessments have not been made during this study due to time constraints. However, future studies should focus on monitoring these rookeries. The highest species diversity was recorded in Talangama tank followed by Weli Park, Kolonnawa marsh, Kimbulawala, Nawala and Thalawathugoda Wetland Park (Table 18).

Table 18. Summary of Bird species recorded from the 15 wetland units surveyed. Wetland MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD

Total species 52 36 73 53 55 53 15 49 53 16 62 43 54 64 24

Endemic Sp. 3 1 3 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 1 1 2 0

Threatened Sp. 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Exotic Sp. 5 3 6 4 2 2 0 4 3 2 3 2 2 5 1

Page | 40 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Mammals: A total of 12 species of mammals including one species that is endemic to Sri Lanka was recorded during the survey (Table 10). The mammals recorded in the wetlands included two endangered species of mammals, Prionailurus viverrinus (Fishing cat) and Lutra lutra (Otter) that use wetlands as their primary habitat. Both of these species are highly cryptic, but signs of their presence have been found in most of the 15 wetlands surveyed. Further, presence of fishing cat in Thalawathugoda Wetland Park has been confirmed with camera trapping independently, by a team from Environment Foundation Ltd. that study movement patterns of endangered urban wildlife. The highest species diversity was recorded in Beddagana Biodiversity Park followed by Thalawathugoda Wetland Park and Talangama tank (Table 19).

Table 19. Summary of Mammal species recorded from the 15 wetland units surveyed. Wetland MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD

Total species 6 5 7 5 2 6 6 2 6 0 4 6 4 4 2

Endemic Sp. 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0

Threatened Sp. 3 2 3 3 1 3 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 2 1

Exotic Sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Page | 41 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Critical Animal Species As in the case of plants, in this report critical species are defined based on their national and global conservation status. Altogether 20 critical species were identified. These include four species of Dragon flies, two species of butterflies, four species of land snails, 2 species of freshwater fish, 2 species of amphibians, 2 species of reptiles and four species of mammals.

Table 20. List of threatened and endemic species of fauna recorded in the wetlands surveyed. Critical species are shaded in grey. Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS DRAGON FLIES Cholorocyphidae Libellago adami Adam's Gem E VU NE Coenagrionidae Ceriagrion cerinorubellum Painted Waxtail N VU LC Coenagrionidae Onychargia atrocyana Marsh Dancer N VU LC Coenagrionidae Pseudagrion rubriceps Red‐headed Sprite E LC LC Gomphidae Ictinogomphus rapax Rapacious Flangetail E LC LC Gomphidae Macrogomphus lankensis Sri Lanka Forktail E EN NE BUTTERFLIES Lycaenidae Deudorix epijarbas Cornelian N VU NE Nymphalidae Ideopsis similis Blue glassy tiger N VU NE Pieridae Appias galane Lesser albatross E LC NE LAND SNAILS Acavidae Acavus phoenix Arabian lustful snail E NT NE Cyclophoridae Aulopoma itieri Itier's operculate snail E EN NE Cyclophoridae Japonia vesca E EN NE Cyclophoridae Scabrina brounae E CR NE Glessulidae Glessula ceylanica Sri Lanka corkscrew snail E EN NE FRESHWATER FISH Aplocheilidae Aplocheilus dayi Day's killifish N EN NE Aplocheilidae Aplocheilus parvus Dwarf panchax E LC NE Claridae Clarias brachysoma Walking catfish E NT NE Cyprinidae Dawkinsia singhala Filamented Barb E LC LC Cyprinidae Esomus thermoicos Flying barb E LC LC Cyprinidae Rasborides atukorali Horadandia E VU NE Cyprinidae Systomus spilurus Olive barb E DD NE AMPHIBIANS

Page | 42 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS Bufonidae Duttaphrynus scaber Ferguson’s Toad N VU NE Dicroglossidae Zakerana greenii Sri Lanka paddy field frog E EN EN Ranidae Hylarana gracilis Sri Lanka wood frog E LC LC Ranidae Hylarana temporalis Common wood frog E NT NT Rhacophoridae Polypedates cruciger Common hour‐glass tree frog E LC LC Rhacophoridae Pseudophilautus popularis Common shrub frog E NT LC Rhacophoridae Pseudophilautus popularis Common shrub frog E NT LC REPTILES Crocodylidae Crocodylus porosus Estuarine crocodile N EN LC Homalopsidae Gerarda prevostianus Gerard’s water snake N EN NE Natricidae Xenochrophis asperrimus The checkered keelback E LC NE Natricidae Xenochrophis cf. piscator Checkered Keelback E LC NE Trionychidae Lissemys ceylonensis Flapshell turtle E LC NE BIRDS Bucerotidae Ocyceros gingalensis Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill E LC LC Columbidae Treron pompadora Pompadour Green‐pigeon E LC LC Hirundinidae Hirundo daurica Red‐rumped Swallow E LC LC Phasianidae Gallus lafayetii Sri Lanka Junglefowl E LC LC Picidae Dinopium benghalense Black‐rumped Flameback E LC LC Psittacidae Loriculus beryllinus Sri Lanka Hanging Parakeet E LC LC Ramphastidae Megalaima rubricapilla Crimson‐fronted Barbet E LC LC MAMMALS Cercopithecidae Semnopithecus vetulus Purple‐faced leaf monkey E EN EN Felidae Prionailurus rubiginosus Rusty‐spotted cat N EN VU Felidae Endangered on a national Fishing cat N EN EN Mustelidae Lutra lutra Otter N VU NT

Abbreviations used: TS ‐Taxonomic Status, NCS ‐ National Conservation Status, GCS ‐ Global Conservation Status, N ‐ Native, E ‐ Endemic, CR ‐ Critically Endangered, EN ‐ Endangered, VU ‐ Vulnerable, DD‐Data Deficient, NT‐Near Threatened, NE‐Not Evaluated, LC ‐ Least Concern.

The distribution of these critical species within the 15 wetlands surveyed is shown in Table 21.

Page | 43 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Table 21. Distribution of critical fauna species (Colour code used: Red ‐ Critically Endangered; Brown ‐ Endangered and Yellow – Vulnerable). Critical Species MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Libellago adami Ceriagrion cerinorubellum Onychargia atrocyana Macrogomphus lankensis Deudorix epijarbas Ideopsis similis Aulopoma itieri Japonia vesca Scabrina brounae Glessula ceylanica Aplocheilus dayi Rasborides atukorali Duttaphrynus scaber Zakerana greenii Crocodylus porosus Gerarda prevostianus Semnopithecus vetulus Prionailurus rubiginosus Prionailurus viverrinus Lutra lutra

Page | 44 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area 6 RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings of historical data and the field surveys, the wetlands in the CMR support a rich assemblage of fauna and flora including endemic and threatened species. The wetland complex that are in the Kotte‐Beddagana‐Kolonnawa‐Weli Park complex and the Talangama‐ Malabe‐Mulleriyawa complex are the wetlandst tha support high species richness of both flora and fauna as well as endemic and threatened species. The latter complex except for the Talangama tank receive less attention at the moment by the line agencies that manage these sites, primarily SLLR&DC and UDA, which may be due to their distance frome th centre of the city. The Beddagana and Thalawathugoda has already been developed as demonstration sites for wetland biodiversity and the baseline information gathered by this survey should be used in preparation of interpretation material for these parks. If further sites are necessary for demonstration purposes, Kolonnawa‐Madinnagoda and Mulleriyawa‐Malabe complex should be selected owing to the high species richness available at these sites.

However, there are many drivers of change operating on these wetland ecosystems such as spreading of invasive species, encroachment, unregulated waste disposal and changes in the hydrology as a result of flood management. Therefore, it is prudent to develop site level management plans to identify the strategic interventions needed at each site in order to ensure that these sites continue to provide the present level of ecosystem services.

Spreading of invasive alien plant species was observed in all the high biodiversity sites. Since there is no baseline data on these sites it is not possible to analyze the impact of invasive species on the native biodiversity of these sites. However, spread of invasive species leads to deterioration of habitat quality and a corresponding reduction in endemic and threatened species as well as overall species richness based on information available for Bellanwila‐Attidiya Sanctuary. At present, management of invasive alien species have been undertaken at many sites. However, it is necessary to develop an invasive species management plan for the entire wetland with clear targets and time frames if these species are to be managed effectively. In the absence of such a plan management is followed by resurgence leading to a continuous removal and thereby, causing continuous disturbance to the wetlands. Since many of the invasive species have become established in the wetlands over a long period of time many wetland fauna have become adapted to using these invasive alien species as feeding, roosting or breeding sites. Therefore outright removal may not be an option, instead selective replacement of the exotic and alien invasive species with native and preferably endemic and threatened species should be tried out at pilot level.

Page | 45 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area 7 REFERENCES

Hettiarachchi, M. 2008. Integrating multidisciplinary information for urban flood control through proper management of wetlands: A Case Study of Kolonnawa Marshlands (Sri Lanka). In: Urban Waters: Resource or Risk? In Proceedings of the 7th World Wide Workshop for Young Environmental Scientists (WWW YES 2008), 13‐16 May 2008, Université Paris‐Est CEREVE, France. Marawila, T. D. and Thibbotuwawa, M. (2010) To Develop or to Conserve? The Case of the Diyawanna Oya Wetlands in Sri Lanka. SANDEE Working Paper 52‐10, 49pp. Mohri, H., Lahoti, S., Saito, O., Mahalingam, A., Gunatilleke, N., Hitinayake, G., & Herath, S. (2013). Assessment of ecosystem services in homegarden systems in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Ecosystem Services, 5, 124‐136. Samarasinghe, Y. M. P., & Dayawansa, N. D. K. (2013). A remote sensing and GIS based study in assessment of the degradation risk of the Kolonnawa marsh. Journal of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, 41(4), 327‐335. Silva, P and Kurukulasuriya, M. (2010) Invasive alien Fauna of Sri Lanka – introduction, spread, impacts and management In: Invasive alien species in Sri Lanka – Strengthenning capacity to control their introduction and spread (Eds Marambe, P., Wijesundara, S. and Atapattu N.), Biodiversity Secretariat and Ministry of Environment. pp 39‐61. Wijesundara, S. (2010) Invasive alien plants in Sri Lanka – introduction, spread, impacts and management In: Invasive alien species in Sri Lanka – Strengthenning capacity to control their introduction and spread (Eds Marambe, P., Wijesundara, S. and Atapattu N.), Biodiversity Secretariat and Ministry of Environment. pp 27‐38.

8 APPENDICES

Page | 46 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Annex 1. List of Fauna and Flora Recorded from Colombo Wetlands Abbreviations Used: TS ‐ Taxonomic Status, E ‐ Endemic, N ‐ Native, I ‐ Introduced/ Exotic, M ‐ Migrant Species NCS ‐ National Conservation Status, GCS ‐ Global Conservation Status, EN ‐ Endangered, VU ‐ Vulnerable, NT ‐ Near Threatened, NE ‐ Not Evaluated, LC ‐ Least Concern Data extracted from published reports: TT ‐ Talangama Tank (2015), BE ‐ Beddagana Biodiversity Park (2014)Diyawannawa DW ‐ Golf Park (1991)

Family Species Name Common English Name Common Sinhala Name Habit TS NCS GCS TT BE DW BUTTERFLIES Nymphalidae Acraea violae Tawny coster Thambily panduru‐boraluwa N LC NE + + Nymphalidae Danaus chrysippus Plain tiger Pahan Gomara N LC NE + + Nymphalidae Danaus genutia Common tiger Iri Koti‐thambiliya N LC NE + + Nymphalidae Elymnias hypermnestra Common palmfly Podu thal‐dumburuwa N LC NE + + Nymphalidae Euploea core Common crow Podu kaka‐kotithiyaya N LC NE + Nymphalidae Junonia almana Peacock pansy Monera alankarikya N LC NE + + Nymphalidae Junonia atlites Grey pansy Aluwan alankarikya N LC NE + + + Nymphalidae Junonia iphita Chocolate soldier Podu alankarikya N LC NE + Nymphalidae Neptis hylas Common sailor Gomara selaruwa N LC NE + + Nymphalidae Parantica aglea Glassy tiger Suduwan nil‐kotithiya N LC NE + + Nymphalidae Phalantha phantha Leopard Podu thith‐thambiliya N LC NE + + Nymphalidae Ypthima ceylonica White four‐ring Podu heen‐dumburuwa N LC NE + + Papilionidae Graphium agamemnon Tailed jay Kola papilia N LC NE + + Papilionidae Pachliopta aristolochiae Common rose Podu rosa papilia N LC NE + Papilionidae Pachliopta hector Crimson rose Maha rosa papilia N LC NE + + + Papilionidae Papilio demoleus Lime butterfly Kaha papilia N LC NE + + Papilionidae Papilio polytes Common mormon Kalu papilia N LC NE + + + Pieridae Catopsilia pyranthe Mottled emigrant Thith‐piya piyasariya N LC NE +

Page | 47 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Species Name Common English Name Common Sinhala Name Habit TS NCS GCS TT BE DW Pieridae Delias eucharis Jezebel Podu Maha‐sudda N LC NE + + + Pieridae Eurema brigitta Small grass yellow Kuda kahakolaya N LC NE + + Pieridae Eurema hecabe Common grass yellow Maha kahakolaya N LC NE + + Pieridae Leptosia nina Psyche Kalu‐thith sudda N LC NE + + + FRESHWATER FISH Anabantidae Anabas testudineus Climbing perch Kavaiya N LC DD + Angullidae Anguilla bicolor Level finned eel Kalu aandha N LC LC + Aplocheilidae Aplocheilus dayi Day’s killifish Uda handeya E EN NE + Bagridae Mystus gulio Long‐whiskered catfish Mana ankutta N LC LC + Bagridae Mystus ankutta Yellow catfish Path ankutta E EN NE + Bagridae Mystus vittatus Striped dwarf catfish Iri ankutta N LC LC + Belontiidae Pseudosphromenus cupanus Spike tailed paradise fish Pulutta N LC LC + Belontiidae Trichogaster pectoralis Snake skin gourami Vel gurami I NE LC + Channidae Channa orientalis Smooth‐breasted snakehead Gas Kanaya E VU NE + Channidae Channa striata Murrel Loola N LC LC + Cichlidae Etroplus maculatus Orage chromide Ralliya N LC LC + Cichlidae Etroplus suratensis Pearl spot Koraliya N LC LC + Cichlidae Oreochromis niloticus Tilapia Tilapia I NE LC + Cyprinidae Amblypharyngodon melettinus Silver carplet Soraya N LC LC + Cyprinidae Dawkinsia singhala Filamented barb Dankola Pethiya E LC LC + Cyprinidae Devario malabaricus Giant danio Dankola Sayala N LC LC + Cyprinidae Esomus thermoicos Flying barb Revul Dandiya E LC LC + Cyprinidae Puntius bimaculatus Redside barb Ipili Kadaya N LC LC + Cyprinidae Puntius chola Swamp bard Kota Pethiya N NE LC + Cyprinidae Puntius vittatus Silver Barb Bandi Titteya N LC LC + Cyprinidae Rasborides atukorali Horandandiya Athukorale Horadandiya N VU NE + Gobiidae Awaous melanocephalus Scribbled goby Bali Weligouva N LC NE + Helostomatidae Helostoma temminckii Kissing gourami Hadu gurami I NE LC + Page | 48 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Species Name Common English Name Common Sinhala Name Habit TS NCS GCS TT BE DW Heteropneustidae Heteropneustes fossilis Stinging catfish Hunga N LC LC + Osphronemidae Osphronemus goramy Giant gourami Yoda gurami I NE LC + AMPHIBIANS Bufonidae Duttaphrynus melanostictus Common house toad Sulaba geai gemba N LC NE + Dicroglossidae Euphlyctis hexadactylus Sixtoe green frog Sayangili pala madiya N LC LC + Dicroglossidae Fejervarya syhadrensis Common paddy field frog Sulaba vel madiya N LC NE + Dicroglossidae Hoplobatrachus crassus Jerdon's bull frog Jerdonge hala madiya N LC LC + Microhylidae Kaloula taprobanica Common bull frog Visituru ratu madiya N LC LC + Ranidae Hylarana aurantiaca Small wood frog Kuda bandi madiya N EN VU + Rhacophoridae Polypedates maculatus Spotted tree frog Pulli gas madiya N LC LC + REPTILES Agamidae Calotes calotes Green garden lizard Pala katussa N LC NE + Agamidae Calotes versicolor Common garden lizard Gara katussa N LC NE + Colubridae Ptyas mucosa Rat snake Gerandiya N LC NE + Elapidae Naja naja Indian cobra Naya N LC NE + Gekkonidae Hemidactylus frenatus Common house‐gecko Sulaba gehuna N LC LC + Homalopsidae Cerberus rynchops Dog‐faced water snake Kuna diya kaluwa N LC LC + Natricidae Amphiesma stolatum Buff striped keelback Aharukuka N LC NE + Natricidae Xenochrophis asperrimus Sri Lanka Keelback Diya bariya E LC NE + Natricidae Xenochrophis cf. piscator Checkered Keelback Diya naya N LC NE + Varanidae Varanus salvator Water monitor Kabaragoya N LC LC + Viperidae Daboia russelii Russell’s viper Tith Polonga N LC NE + BIRDS Accipitridae Accipiter badius Shikra Kurulugoya N LC LC + + + Accipitridae Haliastur indus Brahminy Kite Bamunu Piyakussa N LC LC + Accipitridae Haliaeetus leucogaster White‐bellied Sea‐eagle Kusa‐ali Muhudukussa N LC LC + Accipitridae Milvus migrans Black Kite Bora Parakussa N LC LC +

Page | 49 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Species Name Common English Name Common Sinhala Name Habit TS NCS GCS TT BE DW Aegithinidae Aegithina tiphia Common Iora Podu Iorawa N LC LC + + + Alcedinidae Alcedo atthis Common Kingfisher Mal Pilihuduwa N LC LC + + Alcedinidae Ceryle rudis Pied Kingfisher Gomara‐pilihuduwa N LC LC + + Alcedinidae Halcyon smyrnensis White‐throated Kingfisher Layasudu Madi‐pilihuduwa N LC LC + + + Alcedinidae Pelargopsis capensis Stork‐billed Kingfisher Manathudu Madi‐pilihuduwa N LC LC + + Anatidae Anas querquedula Garganey Bemmasudu tharava M NE LC + Anatidae Dendrocygna javanica Lesser Whistling‐duck Heen Thamba‐seruwa N LC LC + + + Anatidae Nettapus coromandelianus Cotton pygmy‐goose Mal seruwa N NT LC + Apodidae Apus affinis Little Swift Punchi Thurithaya N LC LC + + + Apodidae Cypsiurus balasiensis Asian Palm Swift Asiaa Thal‐thurithaya N LC LC + + Ardeidae Ardea cinerea Grey Heron Alu Koka N LC LC + + + Ardeidae Ardea purpurea Purple Heron Karawal Koka N LC LC + + + Ardeidae Ardeola grayii Indian Pond Heron Kana‐koka N LC LC + + + Ardeidae Bubulcus ibis Cattle Egret Geri‐koka N LC LC + + + Ardeidae Casmerodius albus Great Egret Sudu maha‐koka N LC LC + + + Ardeidae Egretta garzetta Little Egret Punchi Anu‐koka N LC LC + + + Ardeidae Ixobrychus cinnamomeus Cinnamon Bittern Kurundu Mati‐koka N NT LC + Ardeidae Ixobrychus flavicollis Black Bittern Kalu Mati‐koka N LC LC + + Ardeidae Ixobrychus sinensis Yellow Bittern Kaha Mati‐koka N NT LC + + + Ardeidae Mesophoyx intermedia Intermediate Egret Sudu Madi‐koka N LC LC + + Ardeidae Nycticorax nycticorax Black‐crowned Night Heron Ra kana‐koka N NT LC + + Artamidae Artamus fuscus Ashy Woodswallow Alu Wanalihiniya N LC LC + + Burhinidae Burhinus oedicnemus Eurasian Thick‐knee Eurasia Golukiraluwa N LC LC + Campephagidae Coracina macei Large Cuckooshrike Maha Kovulsaratiththa N LC LC + Campephagidae Coracina melanoptera Black‐headed Cuckooshrike Kaluhis Kovulsaratiththa N LC LC + Campephagidae Pericrocotus cinnamomeus Small Minivet Punchi miniviththa N LC LC + + Charadriidae Charadrius dubius Little Ringed Plover Punchi Mala Oleviya N/M VU LC + + + Charadriidae Pluvialis fulva Pacific Golden Plover Sethkara Ran Maha‐oleviya M NE LC + + + Page | 50 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Species Name Common English Name Common Sinhala Name Habit TS NCS GCS TT BE DW Charadriidae Vanellus indicus Red‐wattled Lapwing Rath‐yatimal Kirella N LC LC + Charadriidae Charadrius mongolus Lesser Sand Plover Heen Wali Oleviya M NE LC + Chloropseidae Chloropsis jerdoni Blue‐winged Leafbird Nilpiya Kolarisiya N LC LC + + Ciconiidae Anastomus oscitans Asian Openbill Vivarathuduwa N LC LC + + Ciconiidae Mycteria leucocephala Painted Stork Lathuwakiya N LC NT + Cisticolidae Prinia inornata Plain Prinia Sarala Priniya N LC LC + + + Cisticolidae Cisticola juncidis Zitting Cisticola Iri Pawansariya N LC LC + + Cisticolidae Prinia socialis Ashy Prinia Alu Priniya N LC LC + + + Columbidae Columba livia Rock Pigeon Podu Paraviya F NE LC + + Columbidae Streptopelia chinensis Spotted Dove Alu Kobeiyya N LC LC + + + Columbidae Treron bicincta Orange‐breasted Green‐pigeon Laya‐ran Batagoya N LC LC + Coraciidae Coracias benghalensis Indian Roller Dumbonna N LC LC + Corvidae Corvus levaillantii Large‐billed Crow Kalu Kaputa N LC LC + + Corvidae Corvus splendens House Crow Kolamba Kaputa N LC LC + + + Cuculidae Centropus sinensis Greater Coucal Ati‐kukula N LC LC + + + Cuculidae Eudynamys scolopacea Asian Koel Kowula N LC LC + + + Dicaeidae Dicaeum erythrorhynchos Pale‐billed Flowerpecker Lathudu Pililichcha N LC LC + + Dicruidae Dicrurus caerulescens White‐bellied Drongo Kawuda N LC LC + + + Estrididae Lonchura malacca Black‐headed Munia Hisakalu Weekurulla N LC LC + + Estrididae Lonchura punctulata Scaly‐breasted Munia Laya Kayuru Weekurulla N LC LC + + Estrididae Lonchura striata White‐rumped Munia Nithamba Sudu Weekurulla N LC LC + Hirundinidae Hirundo hyperythra Red‐rumped Swallow Nithambarath Wahilihiniya E LC LC + Hirundinidae Hirundo rustica Barn Swallow Atu Wahilihiniya M NE LC + + + Jacanidae Hydrophasianus chirurgus Pheasant‐tailed Jacana Savul‐penda Diyasaana N LC LC + + + Laniidae Lanius cristatus Brown Shrike Bora Sabariththa M NE LC + + + Laridae Chlidonias hybrida Whiskered Tern Alupiya Kangul‐lihiniya M NE LC + + + Meropidae Merops orientalis Green Bee‐eater Punchi Binguharaya N LC LC + + Meropidae Merops philippinus Blue‐tailed Bee‐eater Nilpenda Binguharaya M NE LC + + + Page | 51 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Species Name Common English Name Common Sinhala Name Habit TS NCS GCS TT BE DW Monarchidae Terpsiphone paradisi Asian Paradise‐flycathcher Asia Rahanmara N/M LC LC + Motacillidae Anthus rufulus Paddyfield Pipit Keth Varatichcha N LC LC + + Motacillidae Motacilla flava WesternYellow Wagtail Kaha Halapenda M NE LC + + + Muscicapidae Copsychus saularis Oriental Magpie Robin Polkichcha N LC LC + + + Muscicapidae Muscicapa daurica Asian Brown Flycatcher Bora Mesimara M NE LC + + Muscicapidae Saxicoloides fulicata Indian Robin Indu Kalukichcha N LC LC + + Nectariniidae Nectarina lotenia Loten’s Sunbird Lotenge Sutikka N LC LC + + Nectariniidae Nectarina zeylonica Purple‐rumped Sunbird Nithamba Dam Sutikka N LC LC + + Oriolidae Oriolus xanthornus Black‐hooded Oriole Kahakurulla N LC LC + + + Passeridae Passer domesticus House Sparrow Gekurulla N LC LC + + Picidae Dendrocopos nanus Brown‐capped Woodpecker Mal Kerella N LC LC + Picidae Dinopium benghalense Black‐rumped Flameback Rath‐karela N LC LC + Pelecanidae Pelecanus philippensis Spot‐billed Pelican Thithhota Pasthuduwa N LC NT + + Phalacrocoracidae Phalacrocorax fuscicollis Indian Cormorant Indu Diyakava N LC LC + + + Phalacrocoracidae Phalacrocorax niger Little Cormorant Punchi Diyakava N LC LC + + + Pittidae Pitta brachyura Indian Pitta Avichchiya M NE LC + Podicipedidae Tachybaptus ruficollis Little Grebe Punchi Gembithuruwa N LC LC + + + Psittacidae Psittacula eupatria Alexandrine Parakeet Labu Girawa N LC LC + + Psittacidae Psittacula krameri Rose‐ringed Parakeet Rana Girawa N LC LC + + + Pycnonotidae Pycnonotus cafer Red‐vented Bulbul Kondaya N LC LC + + + Pycnonotidae Pycnonotus luteolus White‐browed Bulbul Bamasudu Kondaya N LC LC + + Rallidae Amaurornis phoenicurus White‐breasted Waterhen Laya‐sudu Korawakka N LC LC + + + Rallidae Gallinula chloropus Common Moorhen Podu Gallinuwa N LC LC + + + Rallidae Porphyrio porphyrio Purple Swamphen Dam Medi‐kithala N LC LC + + + Ramphastidae Megalaima rubricapilla Crimson‐fronted Barbet Rathmhunath Kottoruwa E LC LC + + + Ramphastidae Megalaima zeylanica Brown‐headed Barbet Polos Kottoruwa N LC LC + + + Recurvirostridae Himantopus himantopus Black‐winged Stilt Kalupiya Ipalpawa N LC LC + + +

Page | 52 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Species Name Common English Name Common Sinhala Name Habit TS NCS GCS TT BE DW Rostratulidae Rostratula benghalensis Greater Painted‐Snipe Raja ulu‐kaswatuwa N VU LC + Scolopacidae Actitis hypoleucos Common Sandpiper Podu Siliththa M NE LC + + + Scolopacidae Gallinago stenura Pintail Snipe Ulpenda Kaswatuwa M NE LC + + + Scolopacidae Limosa limosa Black‐tailed Godwit Kalu‐penda Gohuduwiththa M NE LC + Scolopacidae Tringa stagnatilis Marsh Sandpiper Waguru Silibilla M NE LC + + Scolopacidae Tringa ochropus Green Sandpiper Kola Silibilla M NE LC + Scolopacidae Tringa glareola Wood Sandpiper Wana Silibilla M NE LC + + Strigidae Otus bakkamoena Collared Scops‐owl Karapati Kanbassa N LC LC + + Strigidae Ninox scutulata Brown Hawk‐owl Dumburu Ukusubassa N LC LC + Sturnidae Acridotheres tristis Common Myna Mayna N LC LC + + + Sylviidae Acrocephalus stentoreus Clamorous Reed Warbler Gosa Panraviya N/M NT LC + Sylviidae Orthotomus sutorius Common Tailorbird Battichcha N LC LC + + Threskiornithidae Plegadis falcinellus Glossy Ibis Silutu Dathuduwa M NE LC + Threskiornithidae Threskiornis melanocephalus Black‐headed Ibis Hisakalu Dakaththa N LC NT + + Timalidae Turdoides affinis Yellow‐billed Babbler Demalichcha N LC LC + + + Zosteropidae Zosterops palpebrosus Oriental White Eye Peradigu sithasiya N LC LC + + MAMMALS Felidae Prionailurus viverrinus Fishing cat Handun Diviya N EN EN + Herpestidae Herpestes brachyurus Brown mongoose Dumburu Mugatiya N LC LC + Leporidae Lepus nigricollis Black‐naped hare Wal Hawa N LC LC + Muridae Bandicota indica Malabar bandicoot Uru‐miya N LC LC + Muridae Mus musculus Indian house mouse Koseta‐miya N LC LC + Muridae Rattus rattus Common rat Podu Ge Miya N LC LC + Pteropodidae Cynopterus sphinx Short‐nosed fruit bat Thala‐vavula N LC LC + Pteropodidae Pteropus giganteus Flying fox Ma‐vavula N LC LC + Sciuridae Funambulus palmarum Palm squirrel Leena N LC LC + Soricidae Suncus murinus Common musk shrew Podhu Hik‐miya N LC LC +

Page | 53 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Species Name Common English Name Common Sinhala Name Habit TS NCS GCS TT BE DW Viverridae Paradoxurus hermaphoditus Palm civet Uguduwa N LC LC + Viverridae Viverricula indica Ring‐tailed civet Urulewa N LC LC +

Page | 54 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Annex 2. The locations sampled for the Biodiversity baseline survey

Sample Name of the GPS Coordinate Habitats No Sampling Location N E 1 Malabe Marsh 1 6° 54.626' 79° 57.552' Herb dominated Low Vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 2 Mulleriyawa Tank 6° 56.003' 79° 56.959' Open water, Herb dominated Low Vegetation, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 3 Talangama Tank 6° 53.318' 79° 56.842' Open water, Annona Woodlands, Herb dominated Low Vegetation, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 4 Talangama Tank Right Canal 1 6° 54.123' 79° 57.903' Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 5 Talangama Tank Right Canal 2 6° 53.503' 79° 57.716' Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 6 Talangama Tank Right Canal 3 6° 53.351' 79° 57.541' Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 7 Talangama Tank Right Canal 4 6° 53.346' 79° 57.322' Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 8 Averihena Tank Right Canal 6° 53.421' 79° 56.962' Open water 9 Mulleriyawa Marsh 6° 56.267' 79° 56.770' Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 10 Malabe Marsh 2 6° 54.863' 79° 57.552' Annona woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation 11 Malabe Marsh 3 (Pandanus) 6° 54.705' 79° 57.572' Mixed Woodland 12 Mulleriyawa Marsh 6° 55.727' 79° 57.221' Mixed woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation 13 Beddagana 6° 53.452' 79° 54.613' Annona woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 14 Kimbulawala 6° 52.300' 79° 55.836' Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 15 Wetland Park 6° 52.726' 79° 55.849' Annona woodlands, Mixed woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 16 Talawatugoda Tank 6° 52.565' 79° 56.040' Open water, Annona woodlands 17 Bird Park 1 6° 52.814' 79° 54.895' Annona woodlands 18 Bird Park 2 6° 52.758' 79° 54.806' Annona woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water 19 Polwatta Road Marsh 6° 51.614' 79° 56.036' Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water 20 Parliament Road Marsh 6° 53.815' 79° 54.841' Annona woodlands, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands

Page | 55 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Sample Name of the GPS Coordinate Habitats No Sampling Location N E 21 ITN Junction Tank 6° 52.886' 79° 55.993' Annona woodlands, Open water 22 Akuregoda Tank 6° 53.085' 79° 56.028' Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 23 Kolonnawa Island 1 6° 55.462' 79° 54.092' Mixed woodlands, Herb dominant high vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 24 Kolonnawa Island 2 6° 55.376' 79° 54.008' Mixed woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 25 Kolonnawa Island 3 6° 55.425' 79° 53.978' Mixed woodlands, Herb dominant high vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 26 Kolonnawa Island 4 6° 55.434' 79° 53.908' Mixed woodlands, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 27 Kolonnawa Island 5 6° 55.442' 79° 53.829' Mixed woodlands, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 28 Diyata Uyana 1 6° 54.336' 79° 54.621' Mixed woodlands, Open water 29 Diyata Uyana 2 6° 54.534' 79° 54.699' Annona woodlands, Mixed woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 30 Diyata Uyana Island 1 6° 54.536' 79° 54.232' Annona woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 31 Diyata Uyana Island 2 6° 54.427' 79° 54.387' Annona woodlands, Mixed woodlands, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 32 Diyata Uyana Island 3 6° 54.468' 79° 54.428' Annona woodlands, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 33 Nawala Island 1 6° 54.120' 79° 53.176' Annona woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 34 Nawala Island 2 6° 54.147' 79° 53.215' Annona woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water,Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 35 Nawala Island 3 6° 54.283' 79° 53.232' Annona woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 36 Nawala Island 4 6° 54.251' 79° 53.346' Annona woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands

Page | 56 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Sample Name of the GPS Coordinate Habitats No Sampling Location N E 37 Nawala Island 5 6° 54.302' 79° 53.364' Annona woodlands, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 38 Nawala Island 6 6° 54.266' 79° 53.447' Annona woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 39 Weli Park Island 1 6° 52.951' 79° 53.570' Annona woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 40 Weli Park Island 2 6° 53.061' 79° 53.595' Mixed woodlands, Herb dominant high vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 41 Weli Park Island 3 6° 53.151' 79° 53.566' Mixed woodlands, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 42 Weli Park Island 4 6° 53.238' 79° 53.677' Mixed woodlands, Herb dominant high and low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 43 Weli Park Island 5 6° 53.935' 79° 54.121' Annona woodlands, Mixed woodlands, Herb dominant high vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 44 Weli Park Island 6 6° 53.630' 79° 53.878' Herb dominant high vegetation, Open water 45 Weli Park Island 7 6° 53.867' 79° 54.093' Annona woodlands, Mixed woodlands, Herb dominant high vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 46 Weli Park Island 8 6° 53.427' 79° 53.580' Annona woodlands, Mixed woodlands, Herb dominant high and low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 47 Rampart (Parliament Road) 6° 54.035' 79° 54.500' Annona woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 48 Madinnagoda Island 1 6° 54.892' 79° 53.908' Annona woodlands, Mixed woodlands, Herb dominant low vegetation, Open water, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands 49 Madinnagoda Island 2 6° 54.821' 79° 54.067' Herb dominant high vegetation, Open water 50 Madinnagoda Island 3 6° 54.746' 79° 54.148' Mixed Woodlands, Herb dominant high vegetation, Canals, Highland vegetation associated with wetlands

Page | 57 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Annex 3: List of plants observed during the detailed biodiversity survey at the 15 major wetland areas Abbreviations Used: HA ‐ Habit, T ‐ Tree, S ‐ Shrub, H = Herbaceous, C = Climber or Creeper, EP – Epiphyte TS ‐ Taxonomic Status, E‐ Endemic, N ‐ Native, I ‐ Introduced, alien or Exotic NCS ‐ National Conservation Status, CR‐ Critically Endangered, EN‐ Endangered, VU‐ Vulnerable, NT‐ Near Threatened, LC ‐ Least Concern

Code Main Sampling Unit Sub Sample Numbers Code Main Sampling Unit Sub Sample Numbers MA Malabe Marshes 1, 10, 11 PL Parliament Road Marsh 20, 47 MU Mulleriyawa Marshes 2, 9, 12 WT Thalawathugoda Marshes 21, 22 TA Talangama Tank Marshes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 KO Kolonnawa Marshes 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 BA Beddagana (Kotte) Marshes 13 DA Diyata Uyana Marshes 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 KM Kimbulawala 14 NA Nawala (Heen ela) Marshes 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 TW Wetland Park 15, 16 WA Weli Park Marshes 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 BD Bird Park 17, 18 MD Madinnagoda Marshes 48, 49, 50 PO Polwatta Road Marsh 19

Family Scientific Name Common name HA TS NCS BA MU MA NA KM TW KO DA WA TA MD BD PO PL WT Acanthaceae Asystasia sp. Puruk CN LC 1 Alismataceae Echinodorus sp. HI LC 1 1 1 Alismataceae Limnocharis flava HI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Amaranthaceae Achyranthes aspera Gas Karal Heba HN LC 1 Amaranthaceae Alternanthera sessilis Mukunuwenna HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 Amaryllidaceae Crinum defixum Heen Tolabo HN LC 1 Anacardiaceae Anacardium occidentale Cadju TI LC 1 1 Anacardiaceae Lannea coromandelica Hik TN LC 1 1 1 Anacardiaceae Mangifera indica Amba TI LC 1 1 1 1 Annonaceae Annona glabra Wel Attha TI LC 1 1 1 11111111111 1

Page | 58 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common name HA TS NCS BA MU MA NA KM TW KO DA WA TA MD BD PO PL WT Annonaceae Uvaria zeylanica Palu Kan CN LC 1 Apocynaceae Alstonia macrophylla Havari Nuga TI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Apocynaceae Alstonia scholaris Ruk Attana TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Apocynaceae Calotropis gigantea Wara SN LC 1 Apocynaceae Cerbera odollam Gon Kaduru TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Apocynaceae Ichnocarpus frutescens Gerandi Wel CN LC 1 Apocynaceae Pagiantha dichotoma Divi Kaduru TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Apocynaceae Walidda antidysenterica Wal idda TE LC 1 Aponogetonaceae Aponogeton crispus Kekatiya HN VU 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Araceae Colocasia esculenta Gahala HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Araceae Dieffenbachia seguine HI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Araceae Lagenandra ovate Kethala HN LC 1 1 1 1 Araceae Lasia spinosa Kohila HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Araceae Lemna perpusilla Diya Panshi HN LC 1 1 1 Araceae Pistia stratiotes Diya Paradel HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 Araceae Pothos scandens Pota Wel CN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Araceae Syngonium angustatum Wel Kohila CI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Arecaceae Areca catechu Puwak TN LC 1 1 1 Arecaceae Areca concinna Lenteri Puwak TE EN 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Arecaceae Borassus flabellifer Tal TI LC 1 Arecaceae Calamus rotang Heen Wewel CN NT 1 Arecaceae Caryota urens Kitul TN LC 1 1 1 Arecaceae Chamaedorea sp. TI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Arecaceae Cocos nucifera Pol TN LC 1 Asparagaceae Asparagus falcatus Hathawariya CN LC 1 1 1 1 1 Aspleniaceae Asplenium sp. EP N LC 1 1 1 1 1 Asteraceae Ageratum conyzoides Hulan Tala HI LC 1 1 1

Page | 59 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common name HA TS NCS BA MU MA NA KM TW KO DA WA TA MD BD PO PL WT Asteraceae Chromolaena odorata Podisinnamaran SI LC 1 1 1 Asteraceae Eclipta prostrate Kikirindi HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 Asteraceae Mikania cordata Wathu Palu CI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Asteraceae Struchium sparganophorum HI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Asteraceae Synedrella nodiflora HI LC 1 Asteraceae Vernonia cinerea Monara Kudumbiya HN LC 1 1 1 1 Asteraceae Wedelia trilobata HI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Asteraceae Xanthium indicum Uru Kossa HN LC 1 Azollaceae Azolla pinnata HN LC 1 Bignoniaceae Spathodea campanulata TI LC 1 Bignoniaceae Stereospermum colais Dunu Madala TN LC 1 Calophyllaceae Calophyllum inophyllum Domba TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cannabaceae Trema orientalis Gadumba TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Celastraceae Salacia chinensis Heen Himbutu Wel CN NT 1 1 1 1 Ceratophyllaceae Ceratophyllum demersum HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cleomaceae Cleome rutidosperma HI LC 1 Clusiaceae Garcinia quaesita Rat Goraka TE LC 1 1 Clusiaceae Garcinia terpnophylla TE EN 1 Combretaceae Quisqualis indica CI LC 1 Combretaceae Terminalia arjuna Kumbuk TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Combretaceae Terminalia catappa Kottan TI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Commelinaceae Commelina diffusa Gira Pala HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Convolvulaceae Argyreia populifolia Giri Tilla CE LC 1 1 1 1 1 Convolvulaceae Cuscuta sp. Aga Mula Neti Wel CN LC 1 1 1 1 1 Convolvulaceae Ipomoea aquatica Kan Kun CN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Convolvulaceae Ipomoea cairica CI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Convolvulaceae Ipomoea carnea SI LC 1

Page | 60 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common name HA TS NCS BA MU MA NA KM TW KO DA WA TA MD BD PO PL WT Convolvulaceae Ipomoea sp. CI LC 1 1 1 1 Convolvulaceae Merremia tridentata Heen Madu CN LC 1 1 Convolvulaceae Merremia umbellata Mahamadu CN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cyperaceae Actinoscirpus grossus HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cyperaceae Cyperus aromaticus HI LC 1 1 1 1 1 Cyperaceae Cyperus spp. HN LC 1 1 1 11111111111 1 Cyperaceae Eleocharis spp. HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cyperaceae Fimbristylis spp. HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cyperaceae Hypolytrum nemorum HN VU 1 1 Cyperaceae Rhynchospora corymbosa HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cyperaceae Scleria poaeformis Pothukola Pan HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 Dilleniaceae Dillenia retusa Godapara TN LC 1 1 Dilleniaceae Dillenia suffruticosa Diya Para TI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dilleniaceae Dillenia triquetra Diyapara TN LC 1 1 1 Elaeocarpaceae Elaeocarpus serratus Weralu TN LC 1 1 1 Euphorbiaceae Croton aromaticus Wel Keppetiya S N LC 1 1 1 Euphorbiaceae Croton hirtus Val Tippili HI LC 1 1 Euphorbiaceae Euphorbia heterophylla HI LC 1 Euphorbiaceae Euphorbia hirta Bu Dada Kiriya HN LC 1 Euphorbiaceae Hevea brasiliensis Rubber TI LC 1 Euphorbiaceae Macaranga peltata Kenda TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Euphorbiaceae Mallotus philippensis Hamparilla TN LC 1 1 Euphorbiaceae Mallotus tetracoccus Bu Kenda TN LC 1 Euphorbiaceae Ricinus communis Beheth Endaru SI LC 1 Fabaceae Abrus precatorius Olinda CN LC 1 Fabaceae Acacia melanoxylon TI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Fabaceae Adenanthera pavonina Madatiya TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1

Page | 61 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common name HA TS NCS BA MU MA NA KM TW KO DA WA TA MD BD PO PL WT Fabaceae Aganope heptaphylla CN CR 1 1 Fabaceae Canavalia sp. CN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Fabaceae Cassia alata Rata Tora SI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Fabaceae Centrosema pubescens CI LC 1 1 1 Fabaceae Clitoria laurifolia Andana Hiriya HI LC 1 1 1 Fabaceae Crotalaria pallid HN LC 1 Fabaceae Delonix regia May Mara TI LC 1 Fabaceae Derris scandens Bo Kala Wel CN LC 1 Fabaceae Derris trifoliate Kala Wel CN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Fabaceae Desmodium heterocarpon Et Undupiyali HN LC 1 Fabaceae Desmodium triflorum Heen Undupiyali HN LC 1 1 Fabaceae Flemingia strobilifera Hampinna SN LC 1 Fabaceae Gliricidia sepium Weta Mara TI LC 1 Fabaceae Leucaena leucocephala Ipil Ipil TI LC 1 1 1 Fabaceae Macroptilium lathyroides HI LC 1 Fabaceae Mimosa invisa CI LC 1 1 Fabaceae Mimosa pigra Yoda Nidikumba SI LC 1 1 Fabaceae Mimosa pudica Nidikumba HI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Fabaceae Pongamia pinnata Magul Karanda TN LC 1 Fabaceae Pterocarpus indicus TI LC 1 1 Fabaceae Pueraria phaseoloides CI LC 1 1 Fabaceae Samanea saman Para Mara TI LC 1 Fabaceae Tamarindus indica Siyabala TI LC 1 Fabaceae Peltophorum pterocarpum TI LC 1 1 Flagellariaceae Flagellaria indica Goyi Wel CN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Gleicheniaceae Dicranopteris lineairs Kakilla HN LC 1 1 1 Hanguanaceae Hanguana malayana Induru HN LC 1 1 1

Page | 62 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common name HA TS NCS BA MU MA NA KM TW KO DA WA TA MD BD PO PL WT Hydrocharitaceae Blyxa auberti Diya Hawari HN LC 1 1 1 Hydrocharitaceae Hydrilla verticillata Halpenni HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Hydrocharitaceae Ottelia alismoides HN LC 1 1 1 1 Lamiaceae Clerodendrum infortunatum Pinna TN LC 1 1 Lamiaceae Hyptis capitata HI LC 1 1 Lamiaceae Leucas zeylanica Geta Tumba HN LC 1 Lamiaceae Ocimum americanum Heen Tala HN LC 1 Lamiaceae Premna obtusifolia Maha Midi SN LC 1 1 1 1 1 Lamiaceae Vitex altissima Milla TN NT 1 1 Lauraceae Cinnamomum zeylanicum Kurundu TE VU 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Lauraceae Cryptocarya wightiana Golu mora TN NT 1 Lauraceae Litsea glutinosa Bomee TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Lecythidaceae Barringtonia racemosa Diya Midella TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Lentibulariaceae Utricularia aurea Diya Pasi HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Loranthaceae Dendrophthoe falcata Pilila EP N LC 1 1 1 Lycopodiaceae Lycopodiella sp. Badal wanassa HN LC 1 1 Lygodiaceae Lygodium microphyllum Pamba wel CN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Lythraceae Lagerstroemia speciosa Murutha TN NT 1 Lythraceae Sonneratia caseolaris Kirilla TN LC 1 Malvaceae Grewia damine Daminiya TN LC 1 Malvaceae Hibiscus furcatus Na Pirittha CN LC 1 1 1 1 1 Malvaceae Hibiscus tiliaceus Beli Patta TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Malvaceae Melochia corchorifolia Gal Kura HN LC 1 1 Malvaceae Microcos paniculata Kohu Kirilla SN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Malvaceae Sida acuta Gas Bebila HN LC 1 1 Malvaceae Sida rhombifolia Kotikan Bevila HN LC 1 Malvaceae Thespesia populnea Gan Suriya TN LC 1

Page | 63 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common name HA TS NCS BA MU MA NA KM TW KO DA WA TA MD BD PO PL WT Malvaceae Urena lobata Patta Epala HN LC 1 1 1 1 Malvaceae Urena sinuate Patta Epala HN LC 1 1 1 Malvaceae Muntingia calabura Jam TI LC 1 1 1 Marsileaceae Marsilea minuta Hathara pethiya HN LC 1 1 Melastomataceae Clidemia hirta SI LC 1 1 Melastomataceae Melastoma malabathricum Maha Bovitiya SN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Melastomataceae Memecylon sp. SE LC 1 1 1 1 Meliaceae Cipadessa baccifera Hal Bebiya TN LC 1 Meliaceae Melia azedarach Lunu Midella TI LC 1 Menispermaceae Anamirta cocculus Titta Wel CN LC 1 1 1 1 Menispermaceae Cyclea peltata Kehi Pittan CN LC 1 1 1 Menyanthaceae Nympoides hydrophylla Heen Ambala HN LC 1 Menyanthaceae Nympoides indica Kumudu HN LC 1 1 1 1 Moraceae Artocarpus heterophyllus Kos TI LC 1 Moraceae Artocarpus nobilis Wal Del TE LC 1 Moraceae Ficus benghalensis Maha Nuga TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Moraceae Ficus exasperate Bu Thediya TN LC 1 1 Moraceae Ficus heterophylla Wal Ehetu SN VU 1 Moraceae Ficus hispida Kota Dimbula TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Moraceae Ficus racemosa Attikka TN LC 1 1 1 1 Moraceae Ficus sp. TN LC 1 1 Moraceae Ficus sp.loku TN LC 1 1 1 Moraceae Ficus tinctoria Wal Ehetu TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 Moraceae Streblus asper Geta Netul TN LC 1 Myristicaceae Horsfieldia irya Iriya TN LC 1 1 1 Myrtaceae Psidium guajava Pera TI LC 1 Myrtaceae Syzygium caryophyllatum Heen Dan TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Page | 64 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common name HA TS NCS BA MU MA NA KM TW KO DA WA TA MD BD PO PL WT Myrtaceae Syzygium cumini Madan TN LC 1 1 1 1 Nelumbonaceae Nelumbo nucifera Nelum HN LC 1 1 1 Nephrolepidaceae Nephrolepis sp. HN LC 1 Nymphaeaceae Nymphaea nouchali Manel HN VU 1 Nymphaeaceae Nymphaea pubescens Olu HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Nymphaeaceae Nymphaea sp. Ratu Olu HI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ochnaceae Ochna sp. Mal kera TN LC 1 Olacaceae Olax scandens CN LC 1 Olacaceae Olax zeylanica Mella TN LC 1 Onagraceae Ludwigia adscendens Beru Diyanilla HN LC 1 1 Onagraceae Ludwigia perennis Piduruwella HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Onagraceae Ludwigia peruviana HI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Onagraceae Ludwigia sedoides HI LC 1 1 Onagraceae Ludwigia sp. HI LC 1 1 1 1 Oxalidaceae Oxalis barrelieri HI LC 1 1 1 1 Pandanaceae Pandanus kaida Wata Keyiya SN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Passifloraceae Passiflora foetida CI LC 1 1 1 Passifloraceae Passiflora sp. CI LC 1 Phyllanthaceae Antidesma ghaesembilla Bu Embilla SN LC 1 1 Phyllanthaceae Aporusa lanceolata Heen Kebella TE LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Phyllanthaceae Breynia retusa Wal Murunga SN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Phyllanthaceae Bridelia retusa Ketakala TN LC 1 1 Phyllanthaceae Flueggea leucopyrus Heen Katu Pila SN LC 1 1 Phyllanthaceae Glochidion zeylanicum Hunu Kirilla TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Phyllanthaceae Phyllanthus reticulates Kaila SN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Phyllanthaceae Sauropus androgynus Mella Dum Kola SN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Plantaginaceae Scoparia dulcis HI LC 1 1 1

Page | 65 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common name HA TS NCS BA MU MA NA KM TW KO DA WA TA MD BD PO PL WT Poaceae Axonopus compressus Potu Tana HI LC 1 1 Poaceae Bambusa vulgaris Kaha Una TI LC 1 1 1 1 1 Poaceae Chrysopogon aciculatus Tuttiri HN LC 1 1 Poaceae Cynodon dactylon HN LC 1 Poaceae Dactyloctenium aegyptium Putu Tana HN LC 1 1 Poaceae Eleusine indica Bela Tana HN LC 1 Poaceae Hygroryza aristata Gojabba HN NT 1 Poaceae Imperata cylindrica Illuk HN LC 1 1 Poaceae Panicum maximum Rata Tana HI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Poaceae Panicum repens Etora HN LC 1 1 1 Poaceae Pennisetum polystachion HI LC 1 Poaceae Pharagmites karka Nala Gas HN LC 1 1 1 1 Polygonaceae Persicaria attenuate Sudu Kimbul Wenna HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Polygonaceae Persicaria sp. HN LC 1 Polypodiaceae Drynaria quercifolia Benduru EP N LC 1 Polypodiaceae Pyrrosia heterophylla Kasi pethi EP N LC 1 1 1 Pontederiaceae Eichhornia crassipes Japan Jabara HI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Pontederiaceae Monochoria vaginalis Diya habarala HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Primulaceae Ardisia elliptica Balu Dan SN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Pteridaceae Acrostichum aureum HN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Pteridaceae Ceratopteris thalictroides HN NT 1 1 1 Rhamnaceae Ziziphus oenoplia Heen Eraminiya CN LC 1 1 1 Rhizophoraceae Carallia brachiata Dawata TN NT 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rubiaceae Coffea arabica Kopi TI LC 1 Rubiaceae Gaertnera vaginans SN LC 1 Rubiaceae Hedyotis fruticosa Veraniya SN LC 1 Rubiaceae Ixora coccinea Ratambala, Rat Mal SN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Page | 66 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common name HA TS NCS BA MU MA NA KM TW KO DA WA TA MD BD PO PL WT Rubiaceae Morinda citrifolia Ahu TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rubiaceae Morinda umbellata Kiri Wel CN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rubiaceae Mussaenda frondosa Mussenda CN LC 1 Rubiaceae Nauclea orientalis Bakmi TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rubiaceae Spermacoce assurgens HI LC 1 1 Rutaceae Citrus sp. TI LC 1 Rutaceae Glycosmis pentaphylla Dodan Pana SN LC 1 1 Rutaceae Murraya koenigii Karapincha TN LC 1 1 Rutaceae Murraya paniculata Etteriya TN LC 1 1 1 1 Rutaceae Triphasia trifolia SI LC 1 Salviniaceae Salvinia molesta Salvinia HI LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Sapindaceae Allophylus cobbe Kobbe TN LC 1 Sapindaceae Filicium decipiens Pehimbiya TN LC 1 1 Sapotaceae Chrysophyllum cainito Kos Eta Lawulu TI LC 1 1 1 1 Sapotaceae Madhuca longifolia Mi TN NT 1 Sapotaceae Mimusops elengi Munamal TN NT 1 1 1 1 Simaroubaceae Quassia indica Samadara TN VU 1 1 1 Smilacaceae Smilax perfoliata Maha Kabarassa CN LC 1 1 1 1 Symplocaceae Symplocos cochinchinensis Bombu TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Thelypteridaceae Cyclosorus interruptus HN NT 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Typhaceae Typha angustifolia Hambu Pan HN LC 1 1 Verbenaceae Lantana camara Gandapana SI LC 1 1 1 1 Verbenaceae Stachytarpheta jamaicensis Balu Nakuta HI LC 1 1 1 1 1 Verbenaceae Stachytarpheta sp. HI LC 1 Vitaceae Cissus latifolia Wal Diya Labu CN LC 1 1 1 1 Vitaceae Leea indica Gurulla TN LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Page | 67 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area

Page | 68 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Annex 4: List of fauna observed during the detailed biodiversity survey at the 15 major wetland areas Abbreviations Used: TS ‐ Taxonomic Status, E‐ Endemic, N ‐ Native, I ‐ Introduced, alien or Exotic, M ‐ Migrant or Winter visitor NCS ‐ National Conservation Status, GCS ‐ Global Conservation Status, CR‐ Critically Endangered, EN ‐ Endangered, VU‐ Vulnerable, NT‐ Near Threatened, NE ‐ Not Evaluated, DD ‐ Data Deficient, LC ‐ Least Concern

Code Main Sampling Unit Sub Sample Numbers Code Main Sampling Unit Sub Sample Numbers MA Malabe Marshes 1, 10, 11 PL Parliament Road Marsh 20, 47 MU Mulleriyawa Marshes 2, 9, 12, WT Thalawathugoda Marshes 21, 22 TA Talangama Tank Marshes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 KO Kolonnawa Marshes 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 BA Beddagana (Kotte) Marshes 13 DA Diyata Uyana Marshes 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 KM Kimbulawala 14 NA Nawala (Heen ela) Marshes 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 TW Wetland Park 15, 16 WA Weli Park Marshes 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 BD Bird Park 17, 18 MD Madinnagoda Marshes 48, 49, 50 PO Polwatta Road Marsh 19

Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD DRAGON FLIES Aeshnidae Gynacantha dravida Indian Duskhawker N NT DD 1 Cholorocyphidae Libellago adami Adam's Gem E VU NE 1 1 Coenagrionidae Agriocnemis pygmaea Wandering Wisp N LC LC 1 1 1 1 Coenagrionidae Ceriagrion cerinorubellum Painted Waxtail N VU LC 1 Coenagrionidae Ceriagrion coromandelianum Yellow Waxtail N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Coenagrionidae Ischnura senegalensis Common Bluetail N LC LC 1 1 1 1 Coenagrionidae Onychargia atrocyana Marsh Dancer N VU LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Coenagrionidae Paracercion malayanum Malay lilysquater N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 Coenagrionidae Pseudagrion malabaricum Malabar Sprite N LC LC 1 1 1 Page | 69 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Coenagrionidae Pseudagrion microcephalum Blue Sprite N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Coenagrionidae Pseudagrion rubriceps Red‐headed Sprite E LC LC 1 1 Gomphidae Ictinogomphus rapax Rapacious Flangetail E LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Gomphidae Macrogomphus lankensis Sri Lanka Forktail E EN NE 1 Lestidae Lestes elatus White‐tipped Spreadwing N LC LC 1 Libellulidae Acisoma panorpoides Asian Pintail N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 Libellulidae Aethriamanta brevipennis Elusive Adjutant N LC LC 1 1 Libellulidae Brachydiplax sobrina Sombre Lieutenant N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Libellulidae Brachythmis contaminata Asian Groundling N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Libellulidae Crocothemis servilia Oriental Scarlet N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Libellulidae Diplacodes nebulosa Blacktipped Percher N NT LC 1 Libellulidae Diplacodes trivialis Blue Percher N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Libellulidae Hydrobasileus croceus Amber‐winged Glider N NT LC 1 1 Libellulidae Lathrecista asiatica Pruinosed Bloodtail N NT LC 1 1 1 Libellulidae Neurothemis tullia Pied Parasol N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Libellulidae Orthetrum luzonicum Marsh Skimmer N NT LC 1 1 1 Libellulidae Orthetrum pruinosum Green Skimmer N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Libellulidae Orthetrum pruinosum Pink Skimmer N NT LC 1 1 1 1 1 Libellulidae Pantala flavescens Wandering Glider N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Libellulidae Potamarcha congener Blue Pursuer N LC LC 1 Libellulidae Rhodothemis rufa Spine legged Redbolt N NT LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Libellulidae Rhyothemis variegata Varigated Flutter N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Libellulidae Tholymis tillarga Foggy‐winged Twister N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Libellulidae Trithemis aurora Crimson Dropwing N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Libellulidae Urothemis signata Scarlet Basker N LC LC 1 1 1 1 Platycnemididae Copera marginipes Yellow Featherleg N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 BUTTERFLIES

Page | 70 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Hesperiidae Iambrix salsala Chestnut Bob N LC NE 1 1 1 Hesperiidae Pelopidus Spp. N NE 1 1 1 1 Hesperiidae Potanthus confuscius Tropic Dart N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 Lycaenidae Arhopala amantes Large oakblue N LC NE 1 1 Lycaenidae Castalius rosimon Common Pierrot N LC NE 1 Lycaenidae Curetis thetis Indian sunbeam N LC NE 1 1 1 1 Lycaenidae Deudorix epijarbas Cornelian N VU NE 1 Lycaenidae Jamides bochus Dark Cerulean N LC NE 1 1 1 1 Lycaenidae Jamides celeno Common Cerulean N LC NE 1 1 1 1 Lycaenidae Talicada nyseus Red pierrot N LC NE 1 1 1 Lycaenidae Zizina otis Lesser Grass Blue N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 Lycaenidae Zizula hylax Tiny Grass Blue N LC NE 1 Nymphalidae Acraea violae Tawny costor N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Nymphalidae Danaus chrysippus Plain tiger N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Nymphalidae Danaus genutia Common tiger N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 Nymphalidae Elymnias hypermnestra Common palmfly N LC NE 1 1 1 1 Nymphalidae Euploea core Common crow N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Nymphalidae Euthalia aconthea Baron N LC NE 1 1 Nymphalidae Hypolimnas bolina Great eggfly N LC NE 1 1 Nymphalidae Hypolimnas misippus Danaid Eggfly N LC NE 1 1 Nymphalidae Ideopsis similis Blue glassy tiger N VU NE 1 1 1 Nymphalidae Junonia almana Peacock pansy N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 Nymphalidae Junonia atlites Grey pansy N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Nymphalidae Junonia iphita Chocolate soldier N LC NE 1 1 1 Nymphalidae Junonia lemonias Lemon pansy N LC NE 1 Nymphalidae Mycalesis perseus Common bushbrown N LC NE 1 Nymphalidae Neptis hylas Common sailor N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Page | 71 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Nymphalidae Parantica aglea Glassy tiger N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Nymphalidae Phalantha phantha Leopard N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 Nymphalidae Tirumala limniace Blue tiger N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 Nymphalidae Tirumala septentrionis Dark blue tiger N NT NE 1 Nymphalidae Ypthima ceylonica White four‐ring N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Papilionidae Graphium agamemnon Tailed jay N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Papilionidae Pachliopta aristolochiae Common rose N LC NE 1 Papilionidae Pachliopta hector Crimson rose N LC NE 1 1 1 Papilionidae Papilio demoleus Lime butterfly N LC NE 1 1 Papilionidae Papilio polymnestor Blue mormon N LC NE 1 1 1 Papilionidae Papilio polytes Common mormon N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Pieridae Appias galane Lesser albatross E LC NE 1 1 1 Pieridae Catopsilia pomona Lemon emigrant N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 Pieridae Catopsilia pyranthe Mottled emigrant N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 Pieridae Catopsilia scylla Orange Migrant N LC NE 1 Pieridae Delias eucharis Jezebel N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Pieridae Eurema blanda Three‐spot grass yellow N LC NE 1 1 1 Pieridae Eurema hecabe Common grass yellow N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Pieridae Leptosia nina Psyche N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 FRESHWATER SNAILS Ampullariidae Pomacea diffusa Golden apple snail I NE NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Lymnaeidae Lymnaea pinguis N NE NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Pilidae Pila globosa Apple snail N NE LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Pilidae Pila layardi N NE NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Planorbidae Gyraulus saigonensis N NE NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Thiaridae Melanoides torulosa N NE NE 1 1 Thiaridae Melanoides tuberculata Red‐rim melaniya N NE LC 1

Page | 72 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Thiaridae Thiara scabra Pagoda tiara N NE NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Thiaridae Thiara sp. N NE NE 1 1 1 1 Vivaparidae Bellamya ceylonica N NE NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 LAND SNAILS Acavidae Acavus phoenix Arabian lustful snail E NT NE 1 1 Achatinidae Lissachatina fulica Giant African snail I NE NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ariophantidae Cryptozona bistrialis Common transluent snail N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ariophantidae Macrochlamys indica Macro lucid snail N DD NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ariophantidae Mariaella dussumieri Common shelled slug I NE NE 1 1 1 1 Cyclophoridae Aulopoma itieri Itier's operculate snail E EN NE 1 1 1 1 Cyclophoridae Japonia vesca E EN NE 1 Cyclophoridae Scabrina brounae E CR NE 1 1 1 1 Glessulidae Glessula ceylanica Sri Lanka corkscrew snail E EN NE 1 1 1 Subulinidae Allopeas gracile Graceful awl snail I NE NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Veronicellidae Laevicaulis altae Black slug I NE NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 FRESHWATER FISH Anabantidae Anabas testudineus Climbing perch N LC DD 1 1 1 1 1 1 Anguillidae Anguilla bicolor Level finned eel N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 Aplocheilidae Aplocheilus dayi Day's killifish N EN NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Aplocheilidae Aplocheilus parvus Dwarf panchax E LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Bagridae Mystus gulio Long‐whiskered catfish N LC LC 1 1 Belonidae Xenentodon cancila Freshwater garfish N NT LC 1 Belontiidae Trichogaster pectoralis Snake skin gourami I NE LC 1 1 1 1 1 Belontiidae Trichogaster trichopterus Three spot gourami I NE LC 1 1 1 1 1 Channidae Channa punctata Spotted snakehead N LC LC 1 1 Channidae Channa striata Murrel N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cichlidae Etroplus suratensis Pearl spot N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Page | 73 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Cichlidae Oreochromis mosambicus Tilapia I NE LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cichlidae Oreochromis niloticus Tilapia I NE LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cichlidae Pseudetroplus maculatus Orange chromide N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 Claridae Clarias brachysoma Walking catfish E NT NE 1 1 1 1 Cobitidae Lepidocephalichthys thermalis Common spiny loach N LC LC 1 1 1 1 Cyprinidae Dawkinsia singhala Filamented Barb E LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cyprinidae Devario malabaricus Giant Danio N LC LC 1 Cyprinidae Esomus thermoicos Flying barb E LC LC 1 1 1 1 Cyprinidae Puntius bimaculatus Redside barb N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cyprinidae Puntius dorsalis Longsnouted bard N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cyprinidae Puntius vittatus Silver barb N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 Cyprinidae Rasbora microcephalus Carverii Rasbora N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cyprinidae Rasborides atukorali Horadandia E VU NE 1 1 1 1 Cyprinidae Systomus spilurus Olive barb E DD NE 1 1 1 1 Gobiidae Glossogobius giuris Bar Eyed Goby N LC NE 1 1 1 1 Helostomatida Helostoma temminckii Kissing gourami I NE LC 1 Heteropneustidae Heteropneustes fossilis Stinging catfish N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Loricaridaedae Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus Sucker mouth cat fish I NE LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Mastacembelidae Mastacembelus armetus Marbled spiny eel N LC LC 1 1 Megalopidae Megalops cyprinoides Tarpon N NE NE 1 Notopteridae Chitala ornata Knife fish I NE LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Osphronemidae Osphronemus goramy Gaint gourami I NE LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Poeciliidae Poecilia reticulata Guppy I NE LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Siluridae Ompock bimaculatus Butter catfish N LC NT 1 AMPHIBIANS Bufonidae Duttaphrynus melanostictus Common house toad N LC LC 1 1 1 1 Bufonidae Duttaphrynus scaber Ferguson’s Toad N VU LC 1

Page | 74 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Dicroglossidae Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis Skipper frog N LC LC 1 1 1 Dicroglossidae Euphlyctis hexadactylus Sixtoe green frog N LC LC 1 1 1 1 Dicroglossidae Hoplobatrachus crassus Jerdon's bull frog N LC LC 1 1 1 1 Dicroglossidae Hoplobatrachus tigerinus Indian Bullfrog N DD LC 1 Dicroglossidae Zakerana shyadrensis Common paddy field frog N LC LC 1 1 1 Dicroglossidae Zakerana greenii Sri Lanka paddy firld frog E EN EN 1 Microhylidae Kaloula taprobanica Common bull frog N LC LC 1 Microhylidae Microhyla ornata Ornate narrow mouth frog N LC LC 1 1 Ranidae Hylarana gracilis Sri Lanka wood frog E LC LC 1 1 1 1 Ranidae Hylarana temporalis Common wood frog E NT NT 1 Rhacophoridae Polypedates cruciger Common hour‐glass tree frog E LC LC 1 Rhacophoridae Polypedates maculatus Spotted tree frog N LC LC 1 Rhacophoridae Pseudophilautus popularis Common shrub frog E NT LC 1 1 1 REPTILES Agamidae Calotes calotes Green garden lizard N LC NE 1 1 1 Agamidae Calotes versicolor Common garden lizard N LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Bataguridae Melanochelys trijuga Parker's black turtle N LC NT 1 1 1 1 1 Colubridae Coeloganthus helena Trinket snake N LC NE 1 Colubridae Dendrelaphis tristis front Spot bronze back N LC NE 1 Colubridae Ptyas mucosa Rat snake N LC NE 1 1 1 Crocodylidae Crocodylus porosus Estuarine crocodile N EN LC 1 1 Elapidae Naja naja Indian cobra N LC NE 1 1 1 1 Gekkonidae Hemidactylus spp N LC NE 1 1 1 Homalopsidae Gerarda prevostianus Gerard’s water snake N EN NE 1 1 Natricidae Amphiesma stolatum Buff striped keelback N LC NE 1 Natricidae Xenochrophis asperrimus The checkered keelback E LC NE 1 1 1 1 Natricidae Xenochrophis cf. piscator Checkered Keelback E LC NE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Page | 75 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Scincidae Eutropis carinata Common skink N LC LC 1 1 1 Trionychidae Lissemys ceylonensis Flapshell turtle E LC NE 1 Varanidae Varanus bengalensis Land monitor N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 Varanidae Varanus salvator Water monitor N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Viperidae Daboia russelii Russell’s viper N LC NE 1 1 BIRDS Accipitridae Accipiter badius Shikra N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Accipitridae Circus macrourus Pallid Harrier M NE NT 1 1 1 Accipitridae Elanus caeruleus Black‐winged Kite N NT LC 1 Accipitridae Haliaeetus leucogaster White‐bellied Sea‐eagle N LC LC 1 1 1 Accipitridae Haliastur indus Brahminy Kite N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Accipitridae Spilornis cheela Crested Serpent Eagle N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 Aegithinidae Aegithina tiphia Common Iora N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Alcedinidae Alcedo atthis Common Kingfisher N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Alcedinidae Ceryle rudis Pied Kingfisher N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Alcedinidae Halcyon smyrnensis White‐throated Kingfisher N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Alcedinidae Pelargopsis capensis Stork‐billed Kingfisher N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Anatidae Dendrocygna javanica Lesser Whistling‐duck N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Anatidae Nettapus coromandelianus Cotton pygmy‐goose N NT LC 1 Anhingidae Anhinga melanogaster Oriental Darter N LC NT 1 1 1 1 1 Apodidae Apus affinis House Swift N LC LC 1 1 Apodidae Cypsiurus balasiensis Asian Palm Swift N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ardeidae Ardea cinerea Grey Heron N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ardeidae Ardea purpurea Purple Heron N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ardeidae Ardeola grayii Indian Pond Heron N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ardeidae Bubulcus ibis Cattle Egret N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ardeidae Butorides striatus Straited Heron N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1

Page | 76 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Ardeidae Casmerodius albus Great Egret N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ardeidae Egretta garzetta Little Egret N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ardeidae Ixobrychus flavicollis Black Bittern N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ardeidae Ixobrychus sinensis Yellow Bittern N NT LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ardeidae Mesophoyx intermedia Intermediate Egret N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ardeidae Nycticorax nycticorax Black‐crowned Night Heron N NT LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Bucerotidae Ocyceros gingalensis Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill E LC LC 1 Burhinidae Burhinus oedicnemus Eurasian Thick‐knee N LC LC 1 Campephagidae Coracina macei Large Cuckooshrike N LC LC 1 1 1 1 Campephagidae Coracina melanoptera Black‐headed Cuckooshrike N LC LC 1 1 1 Campephagidae Pericrocotus cinnamomeus Small Minivet N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Charadriidae Vanellus indicus Red‐wattled Lapwing N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Chloropseidae Chloropsis jerdoni Blue‐winged Leafbird N LC LC 1 Ciconiidae Anastomus oscitans Asian Openbill N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ciconiidae Mycteria leucocephala Painted Stork N LC NT 1 1 1 Cisticolidae Cisticola juncidis Zitting Cisticola N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cisticolidae Prinia inornata Plain Prinia N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cisticolidae Prinia socialis Ashy Prinia N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Columbidae Columba livia Rock Pigeon N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Columbidae Ducula aenea Green Imperial Pigeon N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Columbidae Streptopelia chinensis Spotted Dove N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Columbidae Treron pompadora Pompadour Green‐pigeon E LC LC 1 1 1 Corvidae Corvus levaillantii Large‐billed Crow N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 Corvidae Corvus splendens House Crow N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cuculidae Centropus sinensis Greater Coucal N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cuculidae Clamator jacobinus Pied Cuckoo N LC LC 1 1 1 1 Cuculidae Cuculus varius Common Hawk Cuckoo M NE LC 1 1 1

Page | 77 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Cuculidae Eudynamys scolopacea Asian Koel N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicaeidae Dicaeum erythrorhynchos Pale‐billed Flowerpecker N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dicruidae Dicrurus caerulescens White‐bellied Drongo N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Estrididae Lonchura punctulata Scaly‐breasted Munia N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Estrididae Lonchura striata White‐rumped Munia N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Hirundinidae Hirundo daurica Red‐rumped Swallow E LC LC 1 1 1 1 Hirundinidae Hirundo rustica Barn Swallow M NE LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Jacanidae Hydrophasianus chirurgus Pheasant‐tailed Jacana N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Laniidae Lanius cristatus Brown Shrike M NE LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Laridae Chlidonias hybrida Whiskered Tern M NE LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Meropidae Merops orientalis Green Bee‐eater M LC LC 1 1 1 Meropidae Merops philippinus Blue‐tailed Bee‐eater N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Monarchidae Terpsiphone paradisi Asian Paradise‐ flycathcher N/M LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Motacillidae Anthus rufulus Paddyfield Pipit N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Motacillidae Dendronanthus indicus Forest Wagtail M NE LC 1 Muscicapidae Copsychus saularis Oriental Magpie Robin N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Muscicapidae Saxicoloides fulicata Indian Robin N LC LC 1 1 1 1 Nectariniidae Nectarina lotenia Loten’s Sunbird N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Nectariniidae Nectarina zeylonica Purple‐rumped Sunbird N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Oriolidae Oriolus xanthornus Black‐hooded Oriole N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Passeridae Passer domesticus House Sparrow N LC LC 1 1 Pelecanidae Pelecanus philippensis Spot‐billed Pelican N LC NT 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Phalacrocoracidae Phalacrocorax carbo Great Cormorant N NT LC 1 1 1 1 Phalacrocoracidae Phalacrocorax fuscicollis Indian Cormorant N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Phalacrocoracidae Phalacrocorax niger Little Cormorant N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Phasianidae Gallus lafayetii Sri Lanka Junglefowl E LC LC 1 Picidae Dinopium benghalense Black‐rumped Flameback E LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1

Page | 78 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Pittidae Pitta brachyura Indian Pitta M NE LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Podicipedidae Tachybaptus ruficollis Little Grebe N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 Psittacidae Loriculus beryllinus Sri Lanka Hanging Parakeet E LC LC 1 Psittacidae Psittacula krameri Rose‐ringed Parakeet N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Pycnonotidae Pycnonotus cafer Red‐vented Bulbul N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Pycnonotidae Pycnonotus luteolus White‐browed Bulbul N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 Rallidae Amaurornis phoenicurus White‐breasted Waterhen N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rallidae Gallinula chloropus Common Moorhen N LC LC 1 Rallidae Porphyrio porphyrio Purple Swamphen N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Ramphastidae Megalaima rubricapilla Crimson‐fronted Barbet E LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 Ramphastidae Megalaima zeylanica Brown‐headed Barbet N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Recurvirostridae Himantopus himantopus Black‐winged Stilt N LC LC 1 1 1 1 Rostratulidae Rostratula benghalensis Greater Painted‐Snipe N VU LC 1 Scolopacidae Tringa glareola Wood Sandpiper M NE LC 1 Strigidae Otus bakkamoena Collard Scops Owl N LC LC 1 1 Sturnidae Acridotheres tristis Common Myna N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Sylviidae Orthotomus sutorius Common Tailorbird N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Threskiornithidae Threskiornis melanocephalus Black‐headed Ibis N LC NT 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Timalidae Turdoides affinis Yellow‐billed Babbler N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Zosteropidae Zosterops palpebrosus Oriental White Eye N LC LC 1 1 1 1 MAMMALS Cercopithecidae Semnopithecus vetulus Purple‐faced leaf monkey E EN EN 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Felidae Prionailurus rubiginosus Rusty‐spotted cat N EN VU 1 Felidae Prionailurus viverrinus Fishing cat N EN EN 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Leporidae Lepus nigricollis Black‐naped hare N LC LC 1 1 Muridae Rattus rattus Common rat N LC NE 1 1 Pteropodidae Pteropus giganteus Flying fox N LC LC 1 1

Page | 79 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Family Scientific Name Common Name TS NCS GCS MA MU TA BA KM TW BD PO PL WT KO DA NA WA MD Sciuridae Funambulus palmarum Palm squirrel N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Vespertillionidae Pipistrellus tenuis Pigmy pipistrel N LC LC 1 Herpestidae Herpestes edwardsii Grey mongoose N LC LC 1 1 Herpestidae Herpestes fuscus Brown mongoose N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 Hystricidae Hystrix indica Porcupine N LC LC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Mustelidae Lutra lutra Otter N VU NT 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Page | 80 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Annex 5: Ecological survey maps

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ANNEX 6: DISTRIBUTION OF FAUNA AND FAUNE AND RELATION WITH WATER QUALITY

The hydraulic functioning of the Colombo catchments is complex and determines the hydro‐ecological functioning of the wetlands and their typology. A better comprehension of the link between hydraulics and ecological issues would allow better protection of the diversity and richness of the values of the wetlands that are particularly fragile and valuable for the city.

Significant consideration must be given to assessing the potential ecological impacts of any hydraulic works which seek to reduce flood risk and enhance the hydraulic conveyance of the channels. The systematic implementation of this kind of measure often results in a significant decrease in long‐term daily water levels for dry, average and wet years. This can negatively impact the wetlands by lowering the average water level and altering the hydroperiod.

Correlation that can be observed between water quality and endemic species richness shows for both fauna and flora that sites such as Wetland park (Thalawatugoda), Talangama tank, Malabe marshes and Kotte marshes have more than 15 endemic species and very good water quality level (see Table 3 of this report: Overview of the species richness of the 15 wetland units).More details of distribution of endemic, threatened and invasive species was shown in the tables 22., 23., 24. of this annex.

Following map 6. shows this correlation. Method of scoring was used in order to classify the wetlands regarding their endemic species richness. We can notice that Beddagana Wetland belongs to bad water quality catchement and however remain the wetland with highest number of endemic species.The reason for this is beacause Beddagana xetland from 2011 has been design for developing Project for a Wetland Park and in that way increased the good condition for developing of endemic flora and fauna. Similar case could be observed with Wetland Biodiversity Park at Thalawatugoda were the water quality of the catchement is noted as medium and in the same time ecological survey registred 91 of flora species and 166 of fauna species.

Page | 88 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area

Map 6. Comparative data for species richnes and water quality survey results 2015

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Table 22.Flora distribution

Location Location flora x 10 endemic threatened invasive Beddagana (Kotte) Marshes BA 14,1 6 8 8 Talangama Tank Marshes TA 11 3 3 7 Weli Park Marshes WA 10,1 1 3 7 Wetland Park TW 9,1 4 3 6 Mulleriyawa Marshes MU 8,9 5 5 6 Diyata Uyana Marshes DA 8,9 1 2 3 Kolonnawa Marshes KO 8,5 6 4 3 Madinnagoda Marshes MD 6,6 4 3 6 Malabe Marshes MA 6,6 4 2 1 Parliament Road Marsh PL 6,2 3 2 3 Nawala (Heen ela) Marshes NA 5,9 2 3 4 Kimbulawala Marsh KM 4,5 0 1 3

Thalawathugoda Marshes WT 3,9 0 0 5 Bird Park BP 3,6 1 0 2 Polwatta Road Marsh PO 0,9 0 0 1

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Table 23.Fauna distribution

Location Fauna x 10 endemic threatened invasive Talangama Tank Marshes TA 17,4 16 6 3 Wetland Park MA 16,6 17 6 6 Malabe Marshes BA 14 15 9 2 Kolonnawa Marshes MU 13,9 6 4 6 Beddagana (Kotte) Marshes TW 12,9 12 12 4 Weli Park Marshes KO 12,1 6 5 6 Diyata Uyana Marshes MD 12,1 7 6 5 Kimbulawala Marsh WA 10,9 12 3 4 Nawala (Heen ela) Marshes BP 10,7 5 2 6 Parliament Road Marsh PL 10,7 5 4 3 Mulleriyawa Marshes KM 9,7 6 5 2 Polwatta Road Marsh PO 7,6 2 0 3 Bird Park WT 6,7 7 3 5 Madinnagoda Marshes DA 6,2 5 3 4 Thalawathugoda Marshes NA 4,8 3 1 2

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Table 24.Flora and fauna distribution

Location Sp. richness x 10 endemic threatened invasive Wetland Park TW 25,7 21 6 13 Talangama Tank Marshes TA 28,4 19 9 10 Malabe Marshes MA 20,6 19 5 3 Beddagana (Kotte) Marshes BA 27 18 10 12 Kolonnawa Marshes KO 22,4 12 4 9 Kimbulawala Marsh KM 15,4 12 2 7 Mulleriyawa Marshes MU 18,6 11 4 8 Madinnagoda Marshes MD 12,8 9 4 10 Diyata Uyana Marshes DA 21 8 5 8 Parliament Road Marsh PL 16,9 8 5 6 Bird Park BP 10,3 8 3 7 Weli Park Marshes WA 22,2 7 3 13 Nawala (Heen ela) Marshes NA 16,6 7 2 10 Thalawathugoda Marshes WT 8,7 3 1 7

Polwatta Road Marsh PO 8,5 2 0 4

Page | 92 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area ANNEX 7: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION REGARDING THE IMPACT OF INVASIVE SPECIES

The spread of exotic andalien invasive species proliferates across the CMR and represents a significant threat to native biodiversity across the region). Many of these plants and animals result from introductions through the ornamental plant and fish industry. Additionally, as the character of some wetlands has changed, Kolonnawa Marsh for instance, some native species such as Hibiscus tiliaceus have become invasive forming dense monospecific stands. Eleven species of alien invasive plants have been recorded across the various wetland types (table 9). Of these Annona glabra, Eichhorniacrassipes and Salviniamolesta are widespread and common even in areas considered important as examples of nature conservation, such as the Thalawathugoda Wetland Park which supports all eleven invasive plant species. In some wetlands, for instance Talangama Tank Marshes, exotic flora can comprise a third of the plant species observed. Whilst not all the exotic flora may be considered invasive, in some locations, such as Thalawathugoda Marshes, invasive plants can make up over 10% of all the floral species. Furthermore, slow flowing canals can become completely choked by floating invasive plant species, such as Eichhorniacrassipes, resulting in loss of hydrological conveyance and an on‐going maintenance cost. Aquatic invasive species are known to have major negative effects on wetlands dynamics.E.g for Eichhornia crassipes (source issg.org): Infestations of this weed block waterways, limiting boat traffic, swimming and fishing. Water hyacinth also prevents sunlight and oxygen from reaching the water column and submerged plants. Its shading and crowding of native aquatic plants dramatically reduces biological diversity in aquatic ecosystems. E.g. for Pistia statiotes: These mats can have a negative economic effect by blocking waterways, thus increasing the difficulty of navigation and hindering flood control efforts. Mats of P. stratiotes can also disrupt natural ecosystems. They can lead to a lower concentration of oxygen in covered waters and sediments by blocking air‐water interface and root respiration. Extremely thick mats of P. stratiotes can prevent sunlight from reaching underlying water. The cumulative effect of these negative characteristics of the plant is a loss of biodiversity in invaded habitats. A range of alien animal species are also common within the wetlands including fish, snails, amphibians and reptiles. Several of these species are considered invasive (tending to spread prolifically and undesirably or harmfully), such as the Sucker mouth catfish Pterygoplichthys

Page | 93 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area Multiradiatus, theClown knife fish Chitala ornate, the Giant African snail Lissachatinafulica and the Golden apple snail Pomaceadiffusa. Often the alien invasive and exotic flora and fauna occur in sites that support rich species assemblages but there is evidence that the richness of native species can decline as the exotic species become more dominant.

Key messages

1. Alien invasive species present a significant threat to the native biodiversity of the city.

Eleven species of alien invasive plants are currently known to be present in the wetlands including Eichhornia crassipes, which is widespread and chokes canals and waterways, and Annona glabra which occurs in almost every wooded wetland in the city and results in significant changes in the native ecological character of the wetlands.

2. Alien invasive species management plans should be developed as part of wetland site management plans.

It is important to manage and control alien invasive plants in a sustainable manner. Outright removal may always not be an option, instead selective replacement of the exotic and alien invasive species with native and preferably endemic and threatened species should be tried out at pilot level. Furthermore, some of the faunal species, especially birds have become adapted to use these invasive plants as roosting, breeding and feeding grounds and therefore removal of these alien invasive plant species will have to be followed with replacement of some of these services using suitable native plant species.

3. Species action plans should be developed for different alien invasive plants.

Separate management plans should be developed for each of the identified invasive plant species as management prescriptions are not common for all the species concerned. Of particular importance are Annona glabra, Salvenia molesta and Eichornia crassipes.

4. Developing innovative ways to manage alien invasive plants.

The removal of alien invasive plants represents a long‐term process. Opportunities should be developed which transform the removed plant material into a valuable resource. In order to improve

Page | 94 WETLAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ‐ Technical Report 02 ‐ ECOLOGICAL STATUS Metro Colombo Urban Development Project ‐ Consultancy Services for the Preparation of Management Strategy for Wetlands and Carrying out an Assessment of Water Quality in the Inland Waterways and Lakes within Metro Colombo Area cost effectiveness of aquatic IAS control, biogas opportunity could to be evaluated. Recent successful initiatives have been launched in East Africa (Njogu 2015; Kunatsa 2013,…). Or for instance, developing a biogass production for electricity generation to benefit the local wetland communities, or the development of composting programmes to supply organic material to the horticultural industry could be pursued as both sustainable solutions and novel financing approaches.

ANNEX 8: PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION GUIDANCE

1. Integrated planning

Thematic planning should be used as an essential tool to safeguard wetlands and their ecosystem services both within and beyond urban settlements.

• The consideration of wetlands within urban planning needs to be integrated fully with wider elements of spatial planning (such as water resource management, the development of transport infrastructure, agriculture production, fuel supply, etc.). • Alternative locations need to be identified for planned urban developments (both formal and informal built development) which do not lead to wetlands being degraded or lost.

2. Encourage urban agriculture through land use planning as a part of an integrated strategy to build resilience and promote wise use of wetlands

Urban agriculture builds community resilience in various ways. Firstly, it adds to food security and helps to diversify the income of poor families. Secondly, by permitting and even encouraging such activities it can be used as a strategy to keep people from building in those zones – a soft approach to enforcing restrictive land use regulations. Finally, depending on circumstances, urban agriculture may well confer co‐benefits, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions through increased consumption of locally grown produce with fewer vehicle‐miles required to transport produce from farm to table, increased biodiversity.Planners can encourage urban agriculture on appropriate lands through enlightened spatial planning, as well as complementary programmatic measures.

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3. Canal maintenance activities are degrading the ecological functioning of the wetlands.

The routine dredging of sediment from the canals and its deposition on the adjacent banks reduces the ingress of water to wetlands, remobilises contamination and pollutants and accelerates hydrological conveyance reducing the residence time of water in the wetlands. This in turn can change the abundance and composition of species that inhabit the wetland which can change the usage of these wetlands by more mobile species such as birds that feed on aquatic species. Further increased drainage of wetlands can also make them more susceptible to invasion by alien invasive species such as Annona glabra as has been observed in Talangamak tan and Bellanwila‐Attidiya Sanctuary.

4. Soft engineering approaches should be implemented along the canal banks.

Some of the canals are lined by gabion (rock basket) walls, especially around Heen Ela Marsh and the canals in the Nawala‐Nugegoda area. This management prescription changes the bank characters as it introduces a hard boundary that suppresses plant growth and provides limit niche opportunities for fauna. More innovative green‐engineered solutions should be developed and implemented across the canal network.

SOLUTION: Respect river banks/ wetlands edge structure regarding ecological process, concrete banks to avoid.

5. Respect native vegetation

SOLUTION : Only native or endemic species allowed for landscaping like Aganope heptaphylla (Native; Critically Endangered) , Areca concinna (Lentheri Puwak (S), Endemic, Endangered), Garcinia terpnophylla (Endemic, Endangered). See table 8 for full plant list.

6. Respect buffer distance between buildings

SOLUTION: Mandatory measure of horizontal water table (piezo) to define buffer distance between buildings (and any kind of works or land management) and wetlands edge.

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The environmental impacts of buildings over their entire life cycle are a serious issue for the construction industry. Schemes have developed across the world that aim to evaluate, encourage and reward green building design and implementation. Often these address issues such as energy saving,

CO2 emissions, waste reduction, water usage, biodiversity and wastewater treatment. This approach can bring benefits within urban developments and can also utilise wetlands to improve building function and design.

8. Promoting « autonomous » waste water management system for new buildings

In order to avaid complicated and long legal proces of connecting in to the municipal water collector new building should integrate in their design process constructed (artificial) wetlands as a natural way of purifying water. This would be a part of a process that promote green building standards and would be integrated in the labelling criteria.

ANNEX 9: GUIDANCE FOR MONITORING

Key parameters which can be monitored to measure ecological status of wetlands:

• Number of endemic species for flora and fauna: max 15 per wetland; include threatened sp (see table 8. for full list of threatened sp) • Number of nesting species for birds (functionality) • Surface % covered by aquatic invasive species (wetland dynamic; monitor with drones taking pictures once a year for instance).

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