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Conserving Colombo’s wetlands: For people and nature

05 Feb 2022

By Vositha Wijenayake World Wetlands Day is celebrated on 2 February each year under a thematic focus connected to the protection of wetlands. This year, World Wetlands Day focused on actions which are for both people and the nature. With thousands of initiatives across the world, governments and other stakeholders are taking actions which aim to conserve wetlands for long-term resilience of humans and the planet. Termed as ‘biological supermarkets’ by some, wetlands provide a large quantity of food to many species and play a key role in addressing climate change. They can be defined as land consisting of marshes or swamps; saturated land including some elements such as the presence of water; soils indicative of frequent and prolonged flooding; and vegetation which is adapted to flooding or saturated soils. Benefits provided by wetlands include, for example, natural drainage and flood storage capacity, regulatory services, and contributions to addressing climate change and building resilience. They also provide habitats for many species of fauna and flora and are a source of livelihoods for many, especially to communities that are dependent on this natural ecosystem. Colombo’s wetlands Colombo, Sri Lanka’s largest city and commercial capital, includes 1,900 hectares of wetlands which amounts to 8% of the total city area of 22,680 hectares. Known as Colombo Wetland Complex (CWC), this spreads to Beddagana, Thalawatugoda, Kimbulawala, Madiwela, Kolonnawa, Crow Island, Talangama Lake, and Beira Lake. The CWC forms part of the Kelani River basin and estuary. However, changes to land-cover and other impacts on wetlands have resulted in only 1% of the basin being occupied by wetlands. The Kelani River basin is rich in biodiversity and provides a habitat for 60 species of freshwater fish, 30 of which are endemic. It is the home for 280 species of animals, as well as over 250 species of plants which includes those that are critically endangered.  Colombo’s wetlands also play a key role in contributing to food security. This includes provision of food such as rice, brinjal, long yard beans, gourds, and forage plants. Urban wetlands also support livelihoods in livestock, fisheries, and tourism, as well as providing items of medicinal value through ingredients needed for traditional medicine. Impacts of receding wetlands Historically, the CWC or the CFDA (Colombo Flood Detention Area) has played a key role in contributing to the prevention of floods. However, the reduction in wetland cover has reduced their contribution to flood resilience, and flood incidents have become increasingly common from the 1990s onward. The increase in rainfall frequency in the past 30 years, population growth, and challenges faced in the drainage system have led to further difficulties for Colombo’s wetlands. Research indicates that usage patterns of wetlands by communities have changed after 1980. Additionally, Colombo’s built-up environment has seen a 25% increase between 1989 and 2016, with freshwater habitats (including wetlands) declining by 52%. Analysis of aerial photographs and satellite data suggests that between over the last 50 years, approximately 63% of wetlands in the Colombo Metropolitan region has been affected by different threats.  Key drivers for wetland loss could be identified as related to the high demand for land in Colombo. This includes the sale as well subdividing of land plots. Further, the need for resources to sustainably manage urban wetlands as a public good is an aspect that is of importance.  Current rate of wetland loss in the Colombo Metropolitan Region is estimated at approximately 1.2% per year, with higher rates being possible for individual wetland ecosystems. For example, it has been studied that Bellanwila-Attidiya wetland has experienced 2.1% annual average reduction rate between 2004 and 2017.  It is also important to consider the impacts and threats on economic activities due to receding wetlands. Studies conducted on the CWC indicate that the wetland areas create an annual consumer surplus of Rs. 3,890 million and predict the welfare loss from their destruction as amounting to approximately Rs. 19.45 million per hectare.  Conserving Wetlands Sri Lanka has nearly 50 legislations pertaining to water and land management which relate to wetlands. Among these are the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance No.2 of 1937, the Soil Conservation Act of 1951, the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation Act of 1968, and the National Environmental Act of 1980, as well as a range of other acts, ordinances, and regulations. Over the last two decades, Sri Lanka has introduced enhanced measures to protect and restore wetlands in Colombo. Among these measures are policies such as the National Wetland Policy and Strategy of 2005, the Western Province Wetland Management Zoning Plan of 2006, the 2016 Metro Colombo Wetland Management Strategy, as well as Colombo's nomination as South Asia’s first Ramsar Wetlands City in 2018.  For example, the Metro Colombo Wetland Management Strategy refers to the strong connection between wetlands and poor urban communities. This includes the interlinks between wetland conservation and economic empowerment, where wetland conservation facilitates poverty alleviation which highlights the close connection between conservation and community engagement.  In addition to these national processes, global processes related to climate change have also taken into consideration wetlands conservation with interlinks to activities related to the Paris Agreement as well as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the 2030 Agenda. Climate action focused activities and planning processes, as well as activities related to achieving sustainable development present synergies for integrating wetland conservation into long-term planning and action.  Wetland conservation could be integrated actions under the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals and connected to many among the 17 goals. For example, SDG1 (related to eradication of poverty,) SDG2 (related to eradication of hunger,) SDG5 (related to gender equality, through actions that integrate gender responsiveness,) SDG6 (related to clean water and sanitation,) SDG 8 (related to creating decent jobs and economic growth, SDG 10 (related to reducing inequalities,) SDG 11 (related to sustainable cities and communities,) SDG13 (related to climate action,) and SDG15 (related to life on land). Building long-term resilience It is important to enhance awareness of the importance of wetlands among all to protect wetlands. This includes awareness and understanding on the benefits of wetlands, as well as the need for sustainable utilisation, conservation, and management of urban wetland areas. It is equally important to strengthen the conservation efforts through multi-actor partnerships for sustained and long-term contributions by all stakeholders. This includes collaborative actions with multiple stakeholders and sharing of information through enhanced coordination processes which allows interested parties to engage with entities working on wetland conservation.  For enhanced inclusion and economic empowerment, it would also be important to have communities dependent on the ecosystem engaged in activities related to conservation. This includes engagement of the communities and vulnerable groups dependent on the wetlands in the conservation project activities, and identifying ways for them to be integral actors in the conservation efforts. This could include structured roles on monitoring at community levels, as well as identifying and supporting wetland-friendly livelihood and income generation for the communities.  For long-term outcomes related to conservation efforts, it is vital to ensure that wetlands actions are integrated into different processes which are relevant. This could include integration into climate change related actions and plans including those linked to climate resilience building, as well as policies, plans and actions aimed at achieving sustainable development in Sri Lanka would be among the key areas where wetlands could be integrated as a key focus.  It is also necessary that good practises and experiences related to wetland conservation are shared widely, and knowledge management and capacity-building on wetland protection are considered key components of ecosystem conservation efforts, interlinked with income generation and skill development for livelihoods that are wetland-friendly and nature-based. This will provide for collective and participatory conservation efforts leading to long-term resilience of wetlands.  (The writer is an Attorney-at-Law specialising in public international law. She leads the work of SLYCAN Trust, a non-profit think tank working on climate change, sustainable development, biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, social justice, and animal welfare. She has worked for over a decade on climate change at local, national, and international level with a focus on climate change-related law and policy, UN climate change policy and actions, climate adaptation, loss- and damage-related action, multi-stakeholder engagement in policy, and climate action including youth engagement and gender.)  


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