WNPS lecture on Blue whales
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The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society lecture for this month will be on ‘Blue whales in a changing world’ by Dr. Asha De Vos on March 16 at 6 p.m. at the Jasmine Hall (Committee Room A), BMICH, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7.
Blue whales in Sri Lankan waters are unique, non-migratory, and little known yet face a range of threats. Amongst the trickiest is the issue of climate change that affects the entire marine ecosystem. Over the last 60 years, climate change has resulted in a 20 % reduction in marine productivity within the Indian Ocean. Given that 2016 became the third warmest year on record and the hottest in recorded history an understanding of how the climate of the Indian Ocean is changing, how it may influence the whale populations and the role they play in preventing climate change is timely.
Dr. Asha de Vos is a Sri Lankan marine biologist, ocean educator and pioneer of blue whale research within the Northern Indian Ocean. Her work has been showcased internationally by Channel 7 Australia, the BBC, the New York Times, CNN, WIRED UK, the New Scientist, TED, Grist, GOOD and National Geographic. Asha is the first and only Sri Lankan to have a PhD in Marine Mammal research, the first Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation from Sri Lanka and also the first National Geographic Explorer from the country.
The lecture is open to all, admission free.