C’wealth Chief plants mangrove sapling

in appreciation of SL’S contribution to improve mangroves

Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland made a brief visit to a mangrove replanting site in Wadduwa in Koggala and planted a mangrove sapling recently in appreciation of the contribution Sri Lanka has made to improve its mangroves, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

In a statement, the ministry said mangroves not only benefits Sri Lankans but the entire world in terms of increasing the carbon sequestration, which is 2 - 4 times more than tropical forests.

The field visit, on sidelines of Commonwealth Law Ministers Conference in Colombo, included a visit to the mangrove sapling nursery and information centre of the local Community – Based Organisations (CBO) and included the planting of a mangrove sapling of the species “Rhizphora mucronata (Maha Kadol).

“The visit endorses the work Sri Lanka has been doing on the ground;

Sri Lanka pledged to champion the MELAG at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in London in April 2018, including the development of a national policy, guidelines and declaration of 14,000 hectares of land for mangrove rehabilitation/ restoration, as well as setting up an experts group and a task force on mangroves,” it said.

Sri Lanka spearheads the Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Group on Mangrove Ecosystems and Livelihoods (MELAG) under the Commonwealth Blue Charter, calling for fair, equitable, inclusive and sustainable approach to ocean economic development and protection. In August 2018, during a visit to Sri Lanka, the Secretary General planted a mangrove sapling of the species Ceriops decandra in Chilaw – Pambala Lagoon, a site managed by the Sudeesa, a local CBO working closely with the Forest Department.

As Mangrove ecosystems are one of the world’s most threatened tropical ecosystems and considering the contribution of mangrove ecosystems for carbon off-setting, commemorating the World Environment Day on 05th June 2019, INSEE Cement pledged to conserve mangrove habitat in the Koggala lagoon, which is close to INSEE Cement’s plants in Galle, Southern Province. In the Koggala lagoon there are 10 mangrove species out of 22 true mangrove species found in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has 1/3 of world’s mangrove species.

Sri Lanka spearheads the Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Group on MELAG under the Commonwealth Blue Charter, calling for fair, equitable, inclusive and sustainable approach to ocean economic development and protection