The Ministry of Environment has decided to convert the area where the critically endangered ‘Bandula Barb’ fish lives into a conservation zone.
Issuing a statement, the Ministry said that this decision will be implemented under the special program series to be held on the occasion of Biodiversity Conservation Day, which falls tomorrow (2).
This Bandula Barb, an endemic fish species, is found only in the Galapitamada area in the Warakapola Divisional Secretariat. Bandula Barb, a point endemic fish species, is reported from all over the world in waters less than two kilometers long. Therefore, preserving that ecosystem is extremely important for the conservation of the Bandula Pethiya.
A related program is scheduled to be held in the Galapitamada area tomorrow (2) afternoon under the patronage of Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody. This program is being implemented under the initiative of the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
Awareness programs are scheduled to be implemented among the people of the Galapitamada area on the conservation of the Bandula Barb, and a tree planting program is scheduled to be implemented in the reservoirs where the Bandula Barb lives.
This fish species, known in the local language as ”Jayanthiya”, was introduced to the world by a fish researcher named Ranjith Bandula.