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In Sri Lanka, the issue of mangrove deforestation has received widespread attention. As a result, several organizations and coastal communities have started mangrove conservation efforts. However, several aspects of the tourism industry have impeded those efforts.
The Necessity of Mangroves
Mangroves are a vital part of tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems, including those in Sri Lanka. Despite accounting for a small percentage of coverage on the island, about 0.1–0.2%, mangroves are hubs of biodiversity. From fauna to crustaceans, many lifeforms call mangrove forests their home. Therefore, as the threat to mangroves increases, so does the risk of extinction for many species. Worldwide, mangroves host about 15% of species threatened with extinction. More alarmingly, for species that exist mainly or exclusively in mangroves, the risk of extinction is rising for 44% of them, threatening the stability of entire ecosystems.
Mangroves are integral to more than just their native environments. Mangroves are thought of as a nature-based solution to climate change. Mangroves act as carbon stocks, which refers to their ability to capture and store large amounts of carbon. As greenhouses gases in the atmosphere pose a significant threat to combating global warming, the potential of mangroves to act as carbon stocks is significant. However, the deforestation of mangrove forests creates a negative feedback loop – making the fight against climate change all-the-more difficult.
As mangroves are necessary to maintain ecosystems below water and above, their destruction directly impacts local fishing communities. According to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Fisheries, there were 225,480 active fishers in 2024. The degradation of mangrove ecosystems directly threatens local communities’ right to food and nutrition, as the availability of local species disappears.
In addition to the necessity of mangroves for fishing, local communities rely on mangroves to protect the coastlines where their homes are built. Due to the need to be close to the ocean, many fisher people live close or directly on the coastline. In Sri Lanka, approximately 33% of the population live along the coastline. The on-going climate crisis will continue to pose a serious threat to coastlines. As global sea levels are set to rise, so will the amount of ocean waves hitting the coastlines. Without mangroves to buffer the force of the ocean’s waves, the rate of erosion could dramatically increase. If coastlines become inhabitable, traditional fisher communities might be forced to relocate in-land, making access to the ocean, their livelihoods, and culture inaccessible.
Mangrove Conservation in Sri Lanka
Given the importance of mangroves to the environment and coastal communities, locals and international partners have been organizing restoration projects around the island. On September 18th 2024, Ministry of Crab announced a partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In collaboration with the before-mentioned organizations, the Humanitarian Development Organization (HDO) and WeCAN, plan on planting 1,000 mangrove plants. Local grass-roots organizations have been running mangrove conservation efforts for decades. The Turtle Conversation Project of Sri Lanka has successfully restored 500 hectares of mangrove since the start of their project in 2005. While some have warned about the harm of poor planning when it comes to restoration, the Sri Lankan governments has released the National Guidelines for the Restoration of Mangrove Ecosystems of Sri Lanka to ensure these efforts have a realistic pathway to success.
Tourism and the Environment: Friend or Foe?
Despite the push for conservation, it seems as though governments are constantly weighing the economic potential of tourism against the duty of preserving local environments. Like many tropical countries, tourism is an important part of Sri Lanka’s economy and workforce. Last year, Sri Lanka saw 2,053,465 visitors to the island. The income generated in 2024 from tourists accounted for 3.2 billion USD. If left unmanaged, tourism can negatively impact the lives of locals and strain the environment; leading to overtourism, tourism dependence, and unequal division of resources.
Urban development, like the construction of luxury hotels, and pollution, is a primary threat to mangrove swamps in Sri Lanka. Even if cutting mangroves is now illegally in Sri Lanka, there is still worry of illegal activities within the area, such as clearing mangroves for tourism and development projects. Added waste from tourism is another consideration. Boat tours increase the likelihood of fuel mixing with water as seen in Madu Ganga and Gangewadiya. Tourists are also known for contributing to the global plastic pollution problem, with single-use and travel-sized products. Untreated water from waste and pools are often released in mangrove ecosystems as well.
Sustainable Eco-tourism: A Viable Solution
Public awareness of the fragility of ecosystems and global warming has grown. As a result, people now desire more eco-friendly forms of tourism. An emerging form of tourism today is ecotourism. The Global Ecotourism Network (GEN) defines ecotourism as, “responsible travel to natural areas that converses the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and creates knowledge and understanding through interpretation and education of all involved (visitors, staff and the visited)”. An example would be the Negombo Lagoon – home to many mangrove forests. The lagoon draws waves of tourist year-around, thereby serving as a key economic driving force to the area. The destruction of mangroves is counter-intuitive to the growth of Sri Lanka. Developers aim to build hotels and accommodations close to mangrove forests to satisfy the travel goals of visitors; yet destroying the mangroves eliminates the main reasoning for visiting for many tourists. If done correctly, sustainable eco-tourism can bring about benefits for local communities, small businesses, governments, and mangrove environments.
Sustainable tourism involves “sustainable practices in and by the tourism industry”. The idea of sustainable tourism is heavily embedded in GEN’s definition of ecotourism. Frameworks for applying sustainable eco-tourism to mangroves focus on four proposed strategies for sustainable mangrove tourism: (1) conversation and restoration of mangrove, (2) policy and legislation, (3) facilities, resources and infrastructure and (4) community participation and engagement. Other countries have adapted models that integrate all four components – particularly community engagement. The BatuLumbang Mangrove Ecotourism area provides an encouraging example of how government, local communities and private enterprises can collaborate to bring about sustainable economic growth and conservation. To date, similar efforts are being proposed in Sri Lanka.
Tourists themselves play a key role in successful ecotourism projects. Visitors can partake in re-planting efforts, engage with local community members via educational tours and participate in non-destructive wildlife activities. Education can lead to further the support of conservation efforts. Research shows that tourists who engage in ecotourism understand the need for conservation and have a willingness to pay for it. When researchers proposed an Environment Protection Fund for mangrove area in South Sri Lanka to both foreign and domestic tourists, they found that a majority of participants were willing to pay, as they believe it would mediate the impact of climate change. This is especially true for visitors who are educated in need for biodiversity and the destruction of mangrove areas.
Optimism for the Future
Worldwide, there is growing optimism surrounding the success of mangrove restoration efforts, with rates of global mangrove loss slowing since 2010. In 2024, the UN declared Sri Lanka as a UN World Restoration Flagship for restoration efforts of mangrove ecosystems. Also, it must be said that tourism is not the singular threat to mangroves in Sri Lanka. Approximately 43% of global mangrove loss from 2000-2020 can be attributed to aquaculture, oil palm plantations, and rice cultivation. However, with careful collaboration and planning, sustainable tourism practices can ensure that mangroves in Sri Lanka have a fighting chance.
Photo credit: Mackenzie Campbell
