Vidattaltivu Nature Reserve in northern Sri Lanka is an important coastal ecosystem that contains all the main blue carbon habitats, from mangroves to seagrass meadows to salt marshes and tidal flats.
Despite this, the government recently ordered the removal of protection for a section of the reserve, which observers say is meant to free up land for the development of shrimp farms and similar economic activity.
Local environmentalists have challenged this move in court, winning a temporary halt to its implementation as they make the case that any short-term economic gain would be dwarfed by the losses arising from destruction of the ecosystem and the attendant carbon emissions.
While Sri Lanka has gained an international reputation for championing the protection of marine and coastal ecosystems, observers say they fear the country’s ongoing economic crisis may compel the government to release more protected areas for economic activity at the expense of nature.
An article by Malaka Rodrigo
