Kelani Valley Plantations PLC

A unique location ideal for monitoring climate change

Sri Lanka, being an island, is especially sensitive to the vagaries of climate change and probable accompanying rising of sea levels. It is also perfectly located to monitor the effects of climate change on tropical monsoon seasons. The Climate Change Research Station at Queensberry Estate is therefore expected to play a vital role for research which will have immediate and long term practical implications, especially for agriculture.

Queensberry Estate is located on the border of the Kandy and Nuwara Eliya Districts of the Central Province. It is approximately 140 kilometres from Colombo, a 3-hour drive on the A4 highway, turning at Avissawella on to the A7 Hatton Road, turning again at Ginigathhena on to the Nawalapitiya Road, and then on to the NawalapitiyaTalawakelle Road. The estate is approximately 17-20 km from the scenic towns of Hatton, Talawakelle and Nawalapitiya, with Kotagala being the nearest town just 10 km away. It’s about an hour’s drive from Kandy.

The station is expected to play a national role in recording and researching climate change in Sri Lanka, findings which could be of global importance. It is in itself a perfect example of teamwork between industry and science, being a joint venture between Dilmah Conservation and the University of Colombo. Construction commenced in early 2014, and the Research station is expected to begin operations in the very near future.

Research at the Station will be led by scientists from the Department of Zoology of the University of Colombo, and will no doubt also serve as a key focal point for climate change researchers from other global and local institutions.

The 40-perch site at the 1,640-metre (5,380 feet) summit of a mountain which stands out quite uniquely in the region, is not connected to the many adjacent mountain ranges. Being a single peak, it provides an extraordinary panoramic 360-degree view of the surrounding mountain ranges. Gazing clockwise beginning from the north, one can see the ancient hill capital of Kandy, the wild and pristine Knuckles mountain range, the town of Ramboda, Sri Lanka’s tallest mountain Pidurutalagala - the popular mountain resort of Nuwara Eliya, the mist-swathed Horton Plains National Park, the wild areas of Agarapatana, the bustling town of Hatton, the tea estates of Bogawantalawa and Maskeliya, and at a lower elevation the town of Mawanella.

Queensberry’s extraordinary physical location, in terms of elevation, being a single mountain, and experiencing both of Sri Lanka’s differing monsoon seasons, makes it an ideal location for a climate change research station. It experiences huge swings in rainfall, temperature and wind patterns, which vary quite widely from one year to the next. It is therefore ideal for measuring rainfall, drought, winds, etc. Between 2003 and 2015, this estate received rainfall on a minimum of 139 days and a maximum of 180 days per year, with a low of 2,524 mm in 2003 and a high of 4,715 mm in 2011. Highest rainfall is registered on average in the six-month period from June through November.

Climate Change Research Station

Protecting Heterodermia queensberryi

Directly adjoining the station is the forest, where Heterodermia queensberryi was discovered. In her book, Dr. Weerakoon notes of Heterodermia queensberryi: “This species has been spotted on branches of trees in shaded, humid interior regions. (It was) once observed on an open rock, growing among mosses. Found only in natural habitats above 1,000m. (They) mostly grow together with mosses and bryophytes.”

The estate’s management is now making great efforts to protect this species, and all species of fauna and flora in the forest, through a wellstructured and detailed programme. The forest area has been declared out of bounds and workers do not enter to even collect firewood. The programme includes minimizing the use of chemicals in nearby tea fields and using manual labour for weeding, despite the higher cost of such a practice. The effort is all the more laudable when one considers the acute shortage of labour throughout Sri Lanka’s tea industry.

The 415 hectare estate is a haven for wildlife, and leopards are a common site in the evenings and early hours of the day for workers in the tea fields, as are barking deer and smaller species of mammals, lizards and birds, according to M.F.S. Marzookdeen, the Manager of Queensberry Estate. A significant portion of the estate is forested and shelters biodiversity, as tea accounts for 256.76 hectares. The estate’s fuelwood plantation is expanded every year, providing more forest cover.

Heterodermia queensberryi

Lichens and climate change

Sri Lanka is an ideal environment for the growth of lichens, with nearly 1,000 having been identified throughout the island already. Globally, about 20,000 species of lichens have been identified. Often described as a ‘combined life form’, some species of lichens have the longest lifespans among all organisms, with several being estimated to be over 3,000 years old.

Lichens are found in almost every terrain and climate, from rocks on the seashore to some of the highest elevations. They have the ability to grow on a vast range of surfaces from tree bark to soil and even concrete. They are often found to be among the first species to grow on any newly introduced surfaces and are found across a vast temperature range, from the arctic to deserts. Two lichen species that were exposed to the complete vacuum of outer space for 15 days by the European Space Agency, were found to have suffered no ill effects when they were brought back to Earth.

They are also among the most colourful of organisms, and vary widely in size and shape. Like plants, lichens use photosynthesis to produce their own food by combining sunlight, carbon dioxide, water and minerals. While most species of lichens propagate themselves through sexual reproduction, there are some species which have been found to practice asexual reproduction.

Heterodermia sp.

A Carbon Neutral Venture

The Climate Change Research Station itself has been designed to be completely carbon neutral, drawing its power supply from a 2.5 kilowatt micro hydro power station set up especially for this purpose. The power station is located further down the hill, tapping several water sources which flow from Queensberry Estate. Needless to say, given the pristine surroundings, scientists at the station will be working in a very pleasant environment. Its design provides an extraordinary view, and it is equipped with a variety of laboratories, and adequate and comfortable living amenities for researchers.

On the estate, the station is known as “East 17”, as it is located on Field number 17 of the East Division of the estate (not to be confused with the well-known English pop band of the same name). The estate has three divisions – East, West, and Lower.

A part of the station’s research will be targeted at the correlation between current agricultural practices on tea plantations and their carbon footprints. This would enable the identification of better manufacturing processes, and is likely to result in the identification of more opportunities for labelling of various teas as eco-friendly products, which in turn would enable the industry to obtain premium prices by better positioning when marketing such products.

It is now globally accepted that the increase in greenhouse gasses which trap heat has led to a rapid warming of the atmosphere, especially over the past 50 years. Research on a global scale into this critical issue, which threatens the very existence of our species, is of extreme importance.

The station is a major component in the University of Colombo’s project to gather information on life cycle carbon footprint in the tea and rubber industries, two of Sri Lanka’s key export industries.

Bunodephron sp.

Blending high quality production with conservation

Climatic changes have been especially acute in recent years at Queensberry, which makes it a challenge to maintain productivity and high quality. This makes the station a dire need, both for the estate, and the tea industry as a whole, noted Marzookdeen.

Originally a coffee plantation, Queensberry Estate is now well known in the tea industry for the high quality of its tea leaf. Its small, compact factory has the distinction of winning the most number of awards in 2013 and 2014 in the Forbes List for Western High Grown category teas. The factory was set up in 1924, was closed for a period from 1994-2002, and re-opened following the MJF Group’s acquisition of Kahawatte Plantations PLC.

In keeping with the environmental protection philosophy of Dilmah and Kahawatte Plantations PLC, Queensberry Estate has adopted best practices in all its day to day activities. These include comprehensive experiments with Bio-char, which is a soil additive produced from biomass, which is widely believed to help mitigate climate change through ‘carbon sequestration’ or negative carbon dioxide emissions. Biochar increases the fertility of soil, absorbs fertilizers and releases them over long periods, and increases agricultural productivity. Key advantages for the tea industry, and indeed many other forms of agriculture, include sharply lower costs due to the reduced amounts and frequency of fertilizer application, and significantly increased crop productivity. The estate has also focused on the production of compost in large quantities, to reduce on the usage of synthetic fertilizers.

The commitment of Dilmah to environmental protection is quite legendary among Sri Lanka’s corporate sector. In the discovery of Heterodermia queensberryi and Queensberry Estate’s Climate Change Research Station, it is clearly taking these efforts to a higher level.

Usnea sp.

WATAWALA PLANTATIONS PLC Waltrim and Lippakelle estates, Nuwara eliya district

NATURAL CONTROL OF PESTS BATS TO THE RESCUE

In their ceaseless battle against the Tea Tortrix caterpillars which threaten the survival of tea plants, the planters of Lippakelle Estate are protecting an unlikely ally inhabiting a hostile terrain at an altitude of 6,000 feet, high up near Horton Plains - an insect-eating bat, Hipposideros galeritus.

Tortrix caterpillar

Homona coffearia

In 2013, researchers carrying out a survey of biodiversity at Lippakelle Estate, discovered something peculiar in the Elgin Division.

“It was found that several tea blocks of the Elgin Division, almost at the summit of the mountain, were clearly free of damage from the Tea Tortrix caterpillars, which are serious pests in most tea estates. In fact, very few caterpillars were found up there at all,” said Udeni Wanigathunga - Senior Manager, Waltrim Estate of Watawala Plantations PLC.

The absence of Tortrix caterpillars (Homona coffearia) was all the more puzzling since these particular blocks of tea high up on a mountainside, were not being sprayed due to the difficulty of reaching this craggy area at 6,000 feet, with chemicals and sprayers.

“On closer inspection, a labyrinth of caves was found on the side of the mountain, most of them interconnected, and inside, hanging upside down, a species of insectivorous bat,” said Wanigathunga. The bats were found to be of the species Hipposideros galeritus.

“These bats were flying out at nighttime, and feasting on the Tortrix caterpillars, which they are believed to locate on the tea plants in the dark using the radar that all bats are equipped with,” said Priyantha Sunilarathne, Manager of Lippakelle Estate.

The plantations’ managers quickly realized the uniqueness and effectiveness of their silent unseen ally, and reported back to the management of Watawala Plantations PLC. Instructions were issued to plantation workers to take all possible steps to protect this colony of bats. These included the ceasing of any spraying of chemicals in the area around the bat caves, and ensuring that the bats were not disturbed by the workers.

The insectivorous bats are not the only natural ally in the effort to control Tea Tortrix. Watawala Plantations relies heavily on natural control by the wasp species Macrocentrus homonae, a species that was in fact intentionally introduced to Sri Lanka in 1935 from Java. These wasps lay eggs on Tortrix caterpillars, and when they hatch, the young devour the caterpillars. As the Tortrix caterpillars thus form the food source for the wasps, the prevalence of both species are correlated. An increase in caterpillars has been found to lead to an immediate increase in wasps, and a reduction in caterpillars, which then leads to a reduction in wasps.

A success story in the natural control of pests – by courtesy of bats and wasps!

GR

Cantor’s leaf-nosed bat

Hipposideros galeritus Proximity to Horton Plains National Park

Situated above the towns of Lindula and Nanu Oya in the Nuwara Eliya District, Waltrim and Lippakelle Estates are reached via the Hatton-Nuwara Eliya A7 Highway, approximately 4 hours’ drive (120 kilometres) from Colombo. The Kotmale Oya-Agra Oya, an important water source for drinking water, irrigation and hydropower, flows by both estates, from which tributaries flow down to it. The picturesque Elgin Falls lies in close proximity to the estates.

Climbing around the rocky area bordering the forest swathed in mist, one can imagine the natural process that created the labyrinth of interconnected caves that are home to the bats and many other species. For millennia, water has flowed from Horton Plains down these mountains, ebbing and meandering in the different seasons, some streams being perennial, and others seasonal. Where the caves are located, the earth would have been washed away under a large number of mid-sized rocks, creating the caves. The water continues to flow and can be heard deep inside the caves. These are not the types of caves that one sees in adventure movies, but are quite hazardous to explore, with small openings and sheer drops into murky depths where no light penetrates. Some of the openings are large enough for a man to enter. Deep inside these caves, the bats have found their ideal home.

The Tea Tortrix caterpillar is a major menace for all tea plantations, and can cause severe damage to a block of tea within a few hours after hatching. It particularly prefers the luscious buds and tender leaves at the top of the branch, the very leaves and buds which are essential to brew a ‘cuppa’. They spread rapidly, with a single larvae making several nests by stitching together several leaves, containing thousands of eggs. This is one of the reasons for spraying insecticides on tea estates.

As far back as 1928, the Tea Tortrix was officially declared a pest by the Government of Ceylon, and strategies were formulated to control it. However, while these have had varying degrees of success, Tea Tortrix remains a major problem for the plantations.

Waltrim and Lippakelle Estates have been found to contain a large number of wild species. A three month long survey in 2013, by Rajika Gamage and Dananjaya KottawaArachchi, counted 168 species of fauna, including 33 endemic, 20 critically endangered or endangered, 13 that are classified as vulnerable and 14 in the near-threatened category in the Red list of Threatened Fauna and Flora. “The study revealed that each of the six habitats surveyed on the estate provided unique niches and supported the maintenance of natural diversity,” the survey noted.

Given the close proximity of Waltrim and Lippakelle Estates to the Horton Plains National Park, species from the Park often cross over to the estates. It is not at all unusual for workers to report leopards and sambur in the tea fields. The survey found 12 species of mammals, including three that were endangered (leopard, fishing cat, and the Sri Lanka purple-faced langur) and two that were near-threatened (sambur and barking deer).

Of the dragonfly and damselfly species recorded in the survey, two were found to be vulnerable, and four were near threatened. There were also four endemic species of butterfly, plus four that were endangered, four classified as vulnerable, and one that was near-threatened. The survey also found one endangered species of land snail, and two that were vulnerable, all three of which are endemic.

No less than eight species of amphibians that are endemic to Sri Lanka were found on the two estates, all of which were in the threatened category, including one that was critically endangered. Six reptile species that were endemic, and four that were endangered were also found.

These two estates also contain a significant number of birdlife with 68 species being counted. This included ten endemic species, one that is globally threatened, and 12 that were nationally threatened.

The Leopard

Panthera pardus kotiya

State of the art tea factory

In stark contrast to the rocky mountainside, the tea factory of Waltrim Estate is a state-ofthe-art structure with the most modern operations. The original factory was destroyed by fire in 2010, and Watawala Plantations invested significant funds in building an entirely new factory.

The Waltrim factory is in fact a showpiece of Watawala Plantations, and receives large numbers of international visitors, including persons from the tea industry and other groups. The company took the opportunity of the new construction to bring in the most modern methodologies and technology. The building itself has been designed most intricately to cut down energy usage by optimizing sunlight, and reducing wastage and pollutants. The company’s sense of pride in the factory is clear from a sign that greets visitors proclaiming “You are entering a world’s best tea processing facility”.

Apart from the measures taken to protect the bat species, the estates have a comprehensive conservation programme in place. This includes the adoption of environmentally-friendly methods of agriculture such as the restriction of usage of chemicals, a crackdown on illegal hunting, the planting of trees to encourage the expansion of forest cover in identified sections of the estates, and the declaration of marshy areas along streams as restricted.

The unique natural control of Tea Tortrix at Lippakelle and Waltrim has led to efforts to protect the bats and wasps, principally by ensuring that they are undisturbed by human activity as far as possible, and efforts are being made to gather more information on their activities.

Purple-faced leaf monkey

Trachypithecus vetulus

The rocky areas of the Elgin Division bordering the Horton Plains National Park were found to contain many other species apart from the insectivorous bat species, including Indian swiftlets which also use the caves as nesting grounds. Researchers documented many different types of calls of amphibians during nighttime in the area, and observed a large number of reptiles and amphibians. “This small patch of rocky area is ecologically valuable, an ideal place for a larger study of the ecology of these species of amphibians as well as reptiles,” the survey noted.

The estates were found to contain different ecosystems such as tea fields, home gardens, streams, eucalyptus patches, wetlands, and rocky areas. The rocky area received special mention with the researchers noting “the importance of this ecosystem is in providing refuge to a large number of amphibians, reptiles such as lizards, skinks, pit vipers and bats” for which this habitat appeared to be essential. The survey recommended restricted usage of agrochemicals, and use of manual labour operations in and around the rocky area to enhance this ecosystem, which have been adopted by the estate management. Interestingly, the 2013 study also noted that “there is a possibility that the number of species on Lippakelle Estate is much greater than what was recorded” and recommended larger surveys be carried out.

SB GR

GR

A comprehensive conservation programme

Quite apart from the measures taken to protect the bats in the Elgin Division, both Waltrim and Lippakelle Estates have implemented a comprehensive series of activities aimed at biodiversity conservation. The two estates which border each other, have an identical conservation programme that is closely coordinated, driven by both the Senior Manager at Waltrim who is responsible for both estates, and the Manager of Lippakelle. Scientific processes are welcomed in every aspect of the estates’ operations, with one side of Waltrim bordering the Tea Research Institute.

These include awareness creation among workers and the estate community as a whole, on the importance of the subject, and constant reminders through pictures on signboards of the large numbers of species with which they share the estate. Information centres have been created in each division, and the ‘Para Extension Committees’ of the estates have included conservation as an important aspect of their overall activities to improve productivity and enhance the estates’ working culture.

A well-thought-out programme of tree planting has increased forest cover, including the creation of mini-forest patches to harbor wildlife in divisions where such cover had earlier been sparse. These were found to provide a welcome refuge for many species, the most evident being birds including eagles. There is also a programme of planting mana grass in vacant patches of land. Utilizing some species of birds as important allies in the control of Tea Tortrix, the estates even have artificial nesting spots set up on trees and posts in the tea fields.

Water bodies on the two estates have received particular attention, including the planting of appropriate forest cover on the banks of ponds and lakes, and the protection of marshy areas.