REGIONAL FISHERIES LIVELIHOODS PROGRAMME FOR SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA (RFLP) --------------------------------------------------------- An Environmental and Fisheries Profile of the Puttalam Lagoon System (Activity 1.4.1 : Consolidate and finalize reports on physio-chemical, geo-morphological, socio-economic, fisheries, environmental and land use associated with the Puttalam lagoon ecosystem) For the Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for South and Southeast Asia Prepared by Sriyanie Miththapala (compiler) IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Sri Lanka Country Office October 2011 REGIONAL FISHERIES LIVELIHOODS PROGRAMME FOR SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA (RFLP) – SRI LANKA An Environmental and Fisheries Profile of the Puttalam Lagoon System (Activity 1.4.1- Consolidate and finalize reports on physio-chemical, geo-morphological, socio-economic, fisheries, environment and land use associated with Puttalam lagoon ecosystem) For the Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for South and Southeast Asia Prepared by Sriyanie Miththapala (compiler) IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Sri Lanka Country Office October 2011 i Disclaimer and copyright text This publication has been made with the financial support of the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID) through an FAO trust-fund project, the Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme (RFLP) for South and Southeast Asia. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the opinion of FAO, AECID, or RFLP. All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational and other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to: Chief Electronic Publishing Policy and Support Branch Communication Division FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to: [email protected] Bibliographic reference For bibliographic purposes, please reference this publication as: IUCN (2012). An Environmental and Fisheries Profile of the Puttalam Lagoon System. Regional Fisheries Livelihoods Programme for South and Southeast Asia (GCP/RAS/237/SPA) Field Project Document 2011/LKA/CM/06. xvii+237 pp. Printed by : Karunaratne & Sons (Pvt) Ltd., 67, UDA Industrial Estate, Katuwana Road, Homagama, Sri Lanka. www.karusons.com Printed with VOC free, non toxic vegetable oil-based environmentally-friendly ink, on PEFC certified paper from well-managed forests and other controlled sources. ii Table of Contents List of Figures .......................................................................................................................... ix List of Tables .......................................................................................................................... xii List of Acronyms .....................................................................................................................xiii Executive Summary................................................................................................................ xv Chapter 1. Background.............................................................................................................1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................1 The scope of the document .........................................................................................1 The Puttalam Lagoon: location and characteristics ...........................................................3 Chapter 2. The People of Puttalam Lagoon area .....................................................................9 Demography .......................................................................................................................9 Education .........................................................................................................................15 Employment .....................................................................................................................15 Income..............................................................................................................................16 Health ...............................................................................................................................17 Housing ............................................................................................................................17 Transport and communication ..........................................................................................17 Electricity and Water ........................................................................................................18 Land use...........................................................................................................................18 Chapter 3. The history of Puttalam .........................................................................................25 Fossils ..............................................................................................................................25 Pre-history ........................................................................................................................25 Legends............................................................................................................................25 History and archaeology...................................................................................................26 Chapter 4: The Physical Environment ....................................................................................29 Climate .............................................................................................................................29 The Asian regional climate .........................................................................................29 The climate of Sri Lanka ............................................................................................29 Climate in the Puttalam Lagoon .................................................................................31 Climate Change in the Puttalam Lagoon ...................................................................34 Geology ............................................................................................................................34 Geology of the Puttalam Lagoon ...............................................................................35 Past and future trends in geological process in the Puttalam Lagoon .......................39 Topography ......................................................................................................................40 Sub-marine morphology ...................................................................................................41 Soils..................................................................................................................................42 Water resources ...............................................................................................................44 Surface water .............................................................................................................44 Ground water .............................................................................................................45 iii Salinity and Tides .............................................................................................................47 Waves and currents .........................................................................................................49 Mineral Resources ...........................................................................................................50 Chapter 5: The Natural Environment ......................................................................................53 Habitats ............................................................................................................................54 Tropical mixed evergreen forests ...............................................................................55 Tropical thorn forests .................................................................................................55 Mangroves .................................................................................................................56 Salt marshes ..............................................................................................................59 Barrier beaches, spits and dunes ..............................................................................62 Mudflats .....................................................................................................................64 Seagrasses and sea weeds .......................................................................................66 Seagrasses ...........................................................................................................66 Seaweeds .............................................................................................................66 Coral reefs .................................................................................................................67 Ecosystem Services .........................................................................................................70