The Department of Wildlife Conservation states that rising ocean water temperatures due to El Niño conditions could affect the feeding grounds of marine mammals.

Speaking on Ada Derana’s ‘BIG FOCUS’ programme today (07), Director General of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Ranjan Marasinghe, stated that feeding areas associated with coral reefs and marine plants could be affected by rising ocean water temperatures and changes in ocean current patterns.

He pointed out that, compared to the effects of rising temperatures on terrestrial ecosystems, direct intervention to control ocean water temperatures is difficult.

Accordingly, rather than attempting to minimize potential damage, plans have been formulated to restore affected ecosystems as quickly as possible should any damage occur.

Meanwhile, comments were also made regarding whether coral bleaching has been reported around the country due to the effects of El Niño.

The Director General stated that coral bleaching typically occurs during periods of elevated temperatures, and that mild bleaching has so far been reported at two locations.

However, he emphasized that the condition has not reached a significant level of destruction to date.

Additional Director General (Operations) of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Manjula Amararathna, highlighted that coral reefs are extremely sensitive to seawater temperatures and that rising temperatures can have severe impacts on them.