Economic valuation of ecosystems take spotlight in Sri Lanka training for coastal planners

Strengthening integrated coastal management (ICM) institutions is a key objective of Mangroves for the Future (MFF). One way of addressing this objective is by building the capacity of professional coastal managers in integrating coastal ecosystem economic values into development planning and appraisal.

The workshop, held on 2-3 May at the Sri Lanka foundation Institute in Colombo 7, equipped national coastal planners with new knowledge of environmental economic concepts and its application. During the event, internationally and nationally renowned environmental economists facilitated discussions with national coastal planners about the importance of valuing coastal ecosystems. Participants learned methods of economic valuation; cost-based approaches to coastal valuation; examples of environmental valuation in the real world; methods of conducting & communicating valuation studies. The site of the MFF Large Project in Sri Lanka (Maha Oya Estuary) was used as a case study example of real-world environmental valuation practice.

A total of 30 officers from CC&CRMD, Ministry of Environment and Renewable Energy, Forest Department, Department of Wildlife Conservation Central Environmental Authority and Marine Environment Protection Authority) attended this workshop.   Of the 30 participants, 18 were Planning Assistants of CC&CRMD national offices.  The intensive two-day training programme equipped CC&CRMD officers, who are now expected to more effectively appreciate the costs and benefits of environmental impacts of coastal sector development activities. They are also expected to integrate environmental values into decision making process.

The participants commended this initiative and CC&CRMD is planning to repeat this training programme at provincial levels.

In Sri Lanka, national training programmes for building capacity in ICM with MFF funding began in 2012 and two such programmes were held during that year; Barrier-built Estuaries and Lagoons and Implications from Tourism Development in Sri Lanka for hoteliers in the coastal areas and Training on Assessment of carbon sequestration in mangroves for Forest Department officials.

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