Sri Lanka

This study was inspired by observations and experiences from post-tsunami (2004) mangrove planting and ‘restoration’ work in the country. Since the tsunami, IUCN Sri Lanka supported a number of initiatives for improving mangrove management in the context of the structure and functioning of the parent ecosystems – estuaries and lagoons.

This booklet documents the achievements of selected projects of the Mangroves for the Future (MFF) Small Grants Programme in Sri Lanka, with emphasis on drawing lessons to improve future project performance. The projects are presented under three thematic areas, namely Ecosystem restoration, Education and Awareness, and Livelihood enhancement. The contents are largely based on information gleaned from project progress reports and reviews, and notes of field monitoring visits.

This beautiful picture book is an effort to present a cross section of the activities recently implemented by IUCN Sri Lanka in encouraging wise use of natural resources in that country. It highlights examples from the diverse portfolio of work that the Sri Lanka office is doing to provide the reader with a flavour of the limited but rewarding involvement in the natural resources management in Sri Lanka.

The Community Conservation Support Fund (CCSF) in Sri Lanka supports innovative, community-based and natural resources management initiatives with the help of small grants. This booklet is an attempt to document achievements from several projects that were supported by grants from the CCFS, with emphasis on lessons that may influence future project work and also policies.

In the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, four organizations, Both ENDS, World Wide Fund for Nature, Wetlands International and IUCN Netherlands Committee, implemented “Green Coast: for nature and people after the tsunami”, to assist the tsunamiaffected countries in Asia: India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia.

The objective of these guidelines is to evolve a systematically designed common approach for rehabilitation of a vegetation buffer stable enough to absorb the devastating energy of natural disasters. These Guidelines provide implementers with a quick reference to the procedures. For a more thorough and technical overview of the methodology it is necessary to refer to the technical guidelines below.

The need to establish a coastal green belt following the post-tsunami scenario has led to unregulated rehabilitation work. The objective of these technical guidelines is to evolve a systematically designed common approach for rehabilitation of a vegetation buffer stable enough to absorb the devastating energy of natural disasters.

Following the magnitude of the destruction that resulted from the December 2004 tsunami there was an urgent need to draw up emergency strategies and action plans, in order to contain, and wherever possible to reverse, the adverse impacts on the environment, while at the same time continuing reconstruction work to restore livelihoods and infrastructure. A situation analysis was undertaken and from this analysis the current strategy was formulated.