Admitting that Sri Lanka has not properly assessed the economic value of its biodiversity, including the unique genetic properties found in many native species, Deputy Environment Minister Anton Jayakody said there are plans to study these resources scientifically and integrate the environment more closely with the national economy.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (8), he said that although several institutions coming under the Ministry's purview generate revenue through environment-related activities, the country has made only limited efforts to link environmental resources with economic development.

“At present, agencies such as the Wildlife and Forest Conservation Departments generate income by issuing tickets to visitors. Botanical gardens and zoological gardens also bring in revenue through ticket sales. In addition, income is earned by supplying timber grown in forests to the State Timber Corporation. Other institutions including the Central Environmental Authority earn some income through its licensing processes,” he said.

However, he said that the country has yet to properly evaluate the true value of many environmental resources, particularly the genetic characteristics found within Sri Lanka’s biodiversity. He said that these genetic resources could play an important role in fields such as pharmaceutical production, but that scientific studies to explore such possibilities have not been carried out in a systematic manner.

“At present, what we see is that in some instances rare medicinal plants are taken from here, used to develop products elsewhere, and then patented. We need to look at this from a new perspective. We have the ability to develop native plant varieties through methods such as tissue culture. It enables large-scale propagation without causing damage to natural ecosystems. Such plants can then be exported in a controlled and sustainable manner, creating a new source of foreign exchange," added Jayakody.