This research addresses a critical gap in understanding the environmental impact of natural rock aggregate production in Sri Lanka. The study employs life cycle assessment (LCA) and SimaPro Software to simulate natural coarse aggregates’ extraction and manufacture process. Key findings reveal significant environmental impacts, with human carcinogenic toxicity (2.45938 × 10⁻⁶ Pt), eutrophication of freshwater (1.59326 × 10⁻⁶ Pt), and fossil resource scarcity (1.4823 × 10⁻⁶ Pt) being significant concerns. The crushing process in particular shows the highest levels, contributing 2.21 × 10⁶ to human carcinogenic toxicity and 8.92 × 10⁷ to freshwater eutrophication. High electricity consumption, particularly from hard coal in electricity generation, is identified as a primary contributor. Although the sole source of coarse aggregate production in Sri Lanka is natural rock crushing, there is a lack of country-specific environmental impact assessment data for this process. This study provides a valuable dataset for the Sri Lankan construction industry, covering various environmental impact categories and encompassing the sub-processes inherent to natural rock aggregate production. The research highlights the necessity of implementing sustainable practices in quarry operations, proposing a transition towards more environmentally friendly energy sources. By quantifying environmental effects, this study provides valuable insights for stakeholders in the construction sector, enabling informed decision-making and targeted interventions to enhance overall sustainability while offering aggregate manufacturers opportunities to adopt more sustainable practices.

The tourism industry plays a key role in regional and destination development. As negative environmental and socio-cultural impacts of mass tourism become more common, the appeal of alternative forms of tourism, especially ecotourism, continues to increase. With rising demand, ecotourism operators are facing the task of meeting expectations of diverse consumers of ecotourism products. Accordingly, the need to define and distinguish ecotourists from other types of tourists has become important. The importance of using a behavioral approach to distinguish ecotourists from other types of tourists is emphasized by tourism scholars. This study developed distinct motivational and behavioral profiles of visitors to forest-based ecotourism sites in Sri Lanka. Results identified four different types of tourists based on their behavioral and motivational characteristics: ecotourists, picnickers, egoistic tourists, and adventure tourists. Broad implications of visitor profiling are also discussed. This approach can help ecotourism operators to better tailor marketing strategies and increase visitor satisfaction.

Solar radiation energy is a limiting factor for forest growth in humid tropical environments. Radiation incident on a forest canopy varies with azimuth angle of incident radiation and aspect of the forest terrain. The objective of this work was to determine the influence of the geographical aspect and azimuth of incident radiation on the canopy structure of tropical rainforests of Sri Lanka (TRFSL). Hemispherical photography was used to capture canopy images of TRFSLs in ten permanent sampling plots across an altitudinal range from 117 m to 2132 m above mean sea level. Fraction of visible sky (V _sky ) in 144 sectors of the canopy hemisphere, defined by 18 zenith angle (ZnA) × 8 azimuth angle (AzA) segments, was determined using image analysis. Canopy openness, quantified as V _sky of the overall hemisphere, increased with increasing altitude. Canopy leaf area index, decreased linearly with altitude and had a negative relationship with V _sky . Canopy openness of the top one-third (ZnA=0°–30°) of the hemisphere (V _sky(0-30) ) was significantly ( p <0.05) lower on the east (AzA=90°) than on the west (AzA=270°) in a majority of plots. Similarly, V _sky(0-30) was lower on the northern (AzA=0°) than the southern (AzA =180°) canopy segment. These patterns were altered in plots where nearby mountains and slope aspect of the plot influenced incident radiation. These observations suggest a hypothesis that canopies of TRFSL are structured to maximize radiation capture by allocating more leaf area, and therefore having lower canopy openness, on sides of the canopy which face directions of greater radiation receipt.