Irrigated rice fields are temporary wetland agro-ecosystems, managed with a variable degree of intensity. A survey was carried out in Sri Lanka to document the overall biodiversity associated with this unique agro-ecosystem, using a combination of sampling techniques to document different groups of fauna and flora. The total number of biota recorded and identified from the rice field ecosystem during the entire study period consisted of 494 species of invertebrates belonging to 10 phyla and 103 species of vertebrates, while the flora included 89 species of macrophytes, 39 genera of microphytes and 3 species of macrofungi. Of the total species documented, 15 species of invertebrates and one weed species are new records to Sri Lanka. Arthropods were the dominant group of invertebrates (405 species), of which 55 species were rice pest insects, and 200 species were natural enemies of pest insects. The fauna and flora recorded from the rice field were observed to follow a uniform pattern of seasonal colonization and succession during successive rice cultivation cycles. The biodiversity of the irrigated rice agro-ecosystem interests both agroecologists and conservation biologists. Therefore, the integrated efforts of these two groups can result in the formulation of strategies based on biodiversity as an organizing principle in the sustainable management of the rice field agro-ecosystem.

:  As countries worldwide become increasingly interested in conserving biodiversity, the profile of national threatened species lists expands and these lists become more influential in determining conservation priorities. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Categories and Criteria for evaluating extinction risk, originally intended for use at the global level, are increasingly being used at the national level. To facilitate this process, the IUCN recently published guidelines for the application of the criteria at subglobal levels. We evaluated the application of these guidelines, focusing on the opinions and experience of the global community of national assessors. To assess the extent to which IUCN criteria have been used in official national listing efforts, we sent a survey to 180 Convention on Biological Diversity national focal points designated by governments. Of the respondents, 77% had developed national threatened species lists. Of these, 78% applied a version of the IUCN criteria, and 88% plan to produce future threatened species lists. The majority of this last group (83%) will use IUCN criteria. Of the countries that have or will develop a threatened species list, 82% incorporated their list or the IUCN criteria into national conservation strategies. We further explored the issues highlighted by the survey results by integrating the experience of assessors that have produced national lists. Most of the problems national assessors faced when applying the IUCN criteria arose when the criteria were applied at the regional level without the IUCN Regional Guidelines and when assessors were confused about the purpose of the IUCN criteria and lacked training in their proper use. To improve their clarity and increase their repeatability, we recommend that the IUCN increase communication and information exchange among countries and between regional and global assessors, potentially through an interactive Web site, to facilitate the development of national red lists and to improve their conservation value within and between countries.

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This chapter addresses the methodologies for assessing the potential ecological effects of transgenic fish before they actually enter unconfined environments. A strategy for identifying the most important data is outlined, and methods for generating them are presented. The following are also discussed: types of information needed to accurately characterize potential receiving environments for the transgenic fish; phenotypic characteristics of transgenic fish that will influence their interaction with ecosystem processes and components; experimental approaches for assessing transgenic fish phenotypes and their ecological impact; and major sources of scientific uncertainty influencing empirical assessments.

Alien invasive species (AIS) is one among the various threats to the biodiversity of Sri Lanka. A survey was carried out to establish the present status of AIS in Sri Lanka. Wetland and terrestrial ecosystems of different climatic zones were surveyed randomly for the presence of AIS and their threats. Among the 59 AIS identified, 10 species of fauna and 13 species of flora are included in the list of 100 of the world's worst AIS. The alien invasive fauna of Sri Lanka includes 15 vertebrates and 5 invertebrates. The paper discusses the impact of alien invasive fauna and flora on the native species and stresses the need for a proper management strategy.