SRI LANKA - July 2000
Establish the Kiralakele mangrove conservation program
(Sri Lanka 2002 project page, Sri Lanka 2004 project page)
Click photo to enlarge
Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, is a 25,000 square mile island in the Indian Ocean. Its 30,000 acres of mangrove forests contain over half of the world's mangrove species. Mangroves, which provide natural protection to coastline and act as important fish nurseries, are among the planet's most endangered ecosystems. In response to threats to Sri Lanka's mangroves, the Small Fishers Federation of Lanka (SFFL) has begun a mangrove conservation program. Seacology support has enabled SFFL to establish the Kiralakele mangrove conservation program in southern Sri Lanka. This program combines rehabilitation of degraded mangrove areas with the establishment of a mangrove arboretum as an eco-tourism project, and the construction of the south coast's first mangrove resource center. SFFL director Anuradha Wickramasinghe received the 2001 Seacology Prize in recognition of his outstanding work to preserve coastal resources and provide stewardship and economic opportunities to fisher folk in Sri Lanka.
Project Updates can be found on the Sri Lanka 2002 and Sri Lanka 2004 project pages.
