News
Gin Pol, a rare mangrove palm neglected, say environmentalists
View(s):
Environmentalists lament that the rare Mangrove palm Nypa fruticans wurmb, locally known as “Gin Pol” is being neglected despite being the only palm species, considered a true mangrove.
They said the mangrove palm, mostly found in areas such as Bolawatta, south west of Nainamadama areas beside the banks of Gin Oya is getting little protection.
The environmentalists added that due to the lack of proper protection the mangroves are facing threats.
This mangrove palm is also found in countries including India, Indonesia and Australia where it grows in lagoon ecosystems.
Since the plant is also considered the only palm species which grows as a mangrove and is critically endangered, it has also been included into the IUCN Red list of threatened species.
The mangrove palm growing along Gin Oya
Though the mangrove palm is also found in Kalu Ganga, Madu Ganga, the highest density of the palm is found at Gin Oya.
Due to the lack of protection, the plants have been destroyed for development activity. Residents in the area complained that a hotel was built near the Bolawatta area without considering the damage it caused to the mangrove palms.
Though the Wildlife Department had had made attempts to protect the Mangrove palm and its ecosystem in 2019, over time that initiative had been negelected.
Even though the Environment Ministry named eight Mangrove forests in Puttalam as reserves to mark National Mangroves Day, they failed to name the area with Mangrove palms as a reserve, environmentalists said.
Pix and text by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka, no matter what locale you're looking for! Whether you live in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Matara, Jaffna and more - we've got them all!