The Bandula Barb plays a crucial role in biodiversity as a ‘narrow-range endemic,’ meaning its presence is limited to just one small region and is not found anywhere else globally

One of the most significant conservation initiatives taken by the government in view of the World Environment Week was the declaration of the Nikkandupola stream in Galapitamada in the Warakapola Divisional Secretariat as a conservation zone and sanctuary. This is because a 2.5km stretch of stream in this area is home to the Bandula Barb (Pethiya bandula or Jayanthiya), a tiny freshwater fish species that is found nowhere else in the world.

To read the full story visit https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/news-features/Sri-Lanka-reaches-a-milestone-in-a-decades-long-conservation-effort/131-310807