Plastic waste dumped in the ocean from eight different countries -China, Bangladesh, India, Turkey, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Seychelles - have been found washed ashore in Sri Lanka, a case warranting collective global action to deal with.

This was disclosed by a scientist at the China- Sri Lanka Joint Symposium on Coral Reef Ecology yesterday. It was conducted with the participation of scientists and environmentalists from both countries.

Dr.Terney Pradeep Kumara of Ruhunu University revealed it during his presentation.

He told Daily Mirror after the event that 32 million kilos of plastic waste was collected from the Sri Lankan shoreline including waste carried by ocean currents from various other countries.

The scholars from Sri Lanka’s Ruhunu University and South China Institute of Oceanology were among those who made presentations on the need to conserve coral reefs from natural and man-made disasters.

Colombo Port City hosted the Joint Symposium on Coral Reef Ecology bringing together renowned experts in the field to discuss the current state of coral reefs and explore strategies for their protection and restoration. The Symposium coincided with World Environment Day and World Oceans Day, highlighting what it said ‘Port City Colombo’s dedication to sustainability and the protection of natural biodiversity and ecosystems.

A panel of keynote speakers, including high-level academics, shared valuable insights on various aspects of coral reef conservation and restoration, during the Symposium. The panel included, Dr.R.P. Prabath K Jayasinghe – Senior Scientist and Head of the Marine Biological Resources Division at the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency, Professor Hui Huang – Director of the Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, CAS and Member of the Advisory Committee on National Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Association Countries of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), Dr MFM Fairoz – Ex-Officio/Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences at the Ocean University of Sri Lanka, Dr Yuyang Zhang – Associate Professor at the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, CAS, Professor P.B. TP Kumara of the Department of Oceanography and Marine Geology at the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences and Technology of the University of Ruhuna and Dr. Chengyue Liu - Assistant Professor at the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, CAS.