The Ministry of Environment has decided to designate eight mangrove ecosystems in the Puttalam District as new protected reserves this year, Ada Derana reported.
The move is aimed at conserving ecologically sensitive coastal wetlands that serve as nurseries for fish, buffers against coastal erosion and storm surges, and important carbon sinks. Mangrove forests along Sri Lanka’s northwestern coast, including the Puttalam lagoon system, are among the most biodiverse in the country.
Declaring the ecosystems as protected reserves would give them formal legal protection, restricting activities such as clearing, encroachment and unregulated development that have degraded mangrove cover in parts of the island. Conservationists have long warned that shrimp farming, land reclamation and firewood collection pose threats to these habitats.
Sri Lanka has positioned itself as a leader in mangrove conservation in recent years, and successive governments have pledged to protect and restore mangrove cover as part of climate-adaptation and biodiversity commitments. The Puttalam District holds a significant share of the country’s remaining mangrove stands.
The Environment Ministry said the reserves would be formally gazetted, and conservation and community-engagement measures were expected to follow to ensure their long-term protection.
