News
Family discovers rare species thought to be extinct for over a century in home garden
Finding a species long thought to be extinct is a dream of many naturalists and ecologists. One family in Sri Lanka got to have this amazing experience. Journalist and naturalist Sajeewa Wijeweera was shocked to see a bizarre-looking red mushroom with a rounded base emerging from the soil near his home, according to Mongabay.
He hadn’t seen it before, so he snapped a photo and sent it to some botanists. A doctoral researcher from the University of Peradeniya, Bhathiya Gopallawa, responded quickly. “This looks like a mushroom not recorded from Sri Lanka before,” he said.
They started digging through records of mycological research, trying to figure out what it was. Finally, they identified it as a Mutinus bambusinus, a mushroom that hadn’t been seen in Sri Lanka for more than 100 years. Usually, it grows around bamboo groves. However, Wijeweera said, “There were no bamboos in that area for as long as I can remember.”
Now, they think the mushroom is likely more common than previously thought. Gopallawa explained, “It’s likely that the mushroom survives in many locations but has been overlooked for years. … We expect more reports in the coming months.”
This mushroom isn’t the only species once thought extinct that has been found again. The World Economic Forum noted that even some animals have been rediscovered after we thought they were gone forever. Other botanists have found supposedly missing species in photos and videos, too.
Since extinction is tied to biodiversity loss, per the United Nations, finding these species is encouraging. It doesn’t replace species that no longer exist, and it doesn’t mean we should stop our efforts to end extinction, but it suggests there’s always hope.
Biodiversity enables us all to thrive, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Having more species helps different ecosystems remain healthy, which in turn leads to greater overall well-being for the planet that supports us all.
This story shows that you don’t have to be a scientist to look out for lost species. You just have to keep your eyes peeled. In fact, University of Peradeniya botanist Deepthi Yakandawala said, “This is a great example of how citizen science can contribute to formal research.”
Electing politicians who will work to change laws in support of biodiversity can make a big difference, while reducing pollution to stop the planet from overheating goes a long way toward preserving all life on Earth.
(The Cooldown)
It has been reported that veteran Sri Lankan actress and former member of parliament, Malini Senehelatha Fonseka, popularly known as ‘Malini Fonseka’ or the “Queen of Sri Lankan Cinema,” has passed away this morning (24) at the age of 76, while receiving treatment at a private hospital in Colombo.
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The Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) has begun extensive questioning of former Minister Duminda Dissanayake regarding how he came into possession of a gold-plated T-56 assault rifle and for what purpose it was hidden, after the weapon was seized from a house in the Havelock City luxury housing complex in Colombo.
Investigations have revealed that this T-56 rifle had been hidden for a long time at an official ministerial residence located in Bambalapitiya, which was previously assigned to Dissanayake.
Following the change in government, it was discovered that the former Minister had sent the T-56 rifle through his personal aide to the residence of a 68-year-old woman living in the Havelock City complex, after vacating his official residence.
The aide is reported to have placed the weapon in a travel bag and carried it on foot from the Bambalapitiya ministerial residence to the Havelock City apartment, where it was handed over to the woman.
Subsequent investigations into the T-56 rifle, which was recovered from the Havelock City residence, confirmed that the weapon belonged to former Minister Duminda Dissanayake, leading to his arrest and the commencement of further inquiries.
At that time, the Minister’s aide had also been taken into custody and provided full details regarding the weapon.
According to the aide’s statement to the police, he had been instructed by the former Minister to deliver the bag containing the weapon to the woman at the Havelock City residence during the process of clearing belongings from the official residence.
In line with this information, TID officers inspected a house in Kotte yesterday morning, but the former Minister was not found there. He was later arrested at a luxury residence in Thimbirigasyaya during a follow-up search.The Terrorism Investigation Division continues to carry out further investigations in connection with the case.
By Norman Palihawadane and Hemantha Randunu
News
IMF signals difficult obstacle course for Lankan government to complete, including power tariff hikes to ensure cost recovery
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says that the approval for the fourth review of Sri Lanka’s programme, under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), is contingent on the government completing prior actions, including restoring electricity cost recovery pricing.
Addressing the IMF’s weekly press briefing on Thursday the IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack stated that the completion of the review is subject to approval by the executive board and that the IMF expects the board meeting to take place in the coming weeks.
However, Kozack noted that the precise timing of that board meeting is contingent on two things – the first is the implementation of prior actions. She stated that the main prior actions are relating to restoring electricity cost recovery pricing and ensuring proper function of the automatic electricity price adjustment mechanism.
The second contingency is the completion of the financing assurances review which will focus on confirming multilateral partners committed financing contributions to Sri Lanka and whether adequate progress has been made in debt restructuring, the IMF spokesperson highlighted.
“So in a nutshell, completion of the review is subject to approval by the executive board. We expect the board meeting to take place in the coming weeks and it is contingent on the two said matters”, Kozack expressed.
On 25th April, the IMF staff and the Sri Lankan authorities reached staff-level agreement on the fourth review of Sri Lanka’s programme under the EFF. Once the review is approved by the IMF executive board, Sri Lanka will have access to about USD 344 million in financing.
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