An Appraisal of Challenges in the Sustainable Management of the Micro-tidal Barrier-built Estuaries and Lagoons in Sri Lanka - i - IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN works on biodiversity, climate change, energy, human livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporting scientific research, managing field projects all over the world, and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,200 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 45 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. The IUCN in Sri Lanka was established in 1986 and is guided by IUCN’s mission and the environmental concerns embodied in successive National Environmental Action Plans of the Government of Sri Lanka. - ii - An Appraisal of Challenges in the Sustainable Management of the Micro-tidal Barrier-built Estuaries and Lagoons in Sri Lanka Researched and Compiled by Dr. Jayampathy Samarakoon and Prof. Saman Samarawickrama - iii - Published by : IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Sri Lanka Office. Copyright : © 2012 IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non - commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation : Samarakoon, Jayampathy and Saman Samarawickrama (2012). An Appraisal of Challenges in the Sustainable Management of the Micro-tidal Barrier- built Estuaries and Lagoons in Sri Lanka. IUCN Sri Lanka Country Office, Colombo. xxii + 171pp. ISBN : 978-955-0205-11-0 Cover Photographs : Negombo Lagoon © Ranjith Mahindapala Produced by : IUCN Sri Lanka Office Design and layout by : K. Amila Tharanga Printed by : Karunaratne & Sons Ltd. 67, UDA Industrial Estate, Katuwana Road, Homagama, Sri Lanka. [email protected] Available from : IUCN Sri Lanka Country Office, 53, Horton Place, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka. www.iucnsl.org - iv - Contents Preface vii Summary Overview ix 1. Section 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 The Economic Value of Estuaries and Lagoons 6 1.3 Imparting Meaningfulness and Trustworthiness to the Colloquium Report 10 1.4 Why Are Estuaries and Lagoons Complex Systems? 11 1.5 Analytical Frameworks 13 1.6 Structure of the Report 16 1.7 What are Estuaries and Lagoons and Where are They Found? 17 1.8 Risk and Vulnerability 20 1.9 The Need for the February 2011 Colloquium 21 1.10 Existing Management Interventions for Estuaries and Lagoons by the Coast Conservation Department 24 1.10.1 Special Area Management (SAM) 25 1.11 Value of Ecosystem Services 27 1.12 Differences in Scientific Opinions 28 1.13 The Hidden Story and Different Points of View 29 1.14 System Thinking 30 1.15 Environmental Management, Political Ecology and Governance 31 2. Section 2. Colloquium: Presentations and Findings 33 2.1 Presentations 33 3. Section 3. Evidence of Conflicts and Contradictions from Planned and Haphazard Development and Land Uses in Barrier-built Estuaries and Lagoons: Case Studies -Batticaloa and Negombo Lagoons. 49 3.1 Batticaloa Lagoon 51 3.1.1 Livelihood and food security 51 3.1.2 Infrastructure Development: The Impacts on Hydraulics and Sedimentation 56 3.2 Negombo Lagoon 65 3.2.1 A Brief Area Description 65 4. Section 4. Physical Processes: Hydrology, Hydraulics and Hydromorphology of Barrier-built Estuaries and Lagoons 71 4.1 Tides 72 4.1.1 Tides at coastal sites 72 - v - 4.1.2 Tides at estuaries 72 4.2 Waves and sediment movement 72 4.2.1 Wind and waves 72 4.2.2 Sediment transport process 74 4.3 Fresh water inflows 75 4.4 Approach to investigations 77 4.5 Towards improved environmental management of the Negombo Lagoon 78 4.6 Feasibility of preventing the formation of a sand bar at the outlet of the Madu Ganga 81 5. Section 5. Synthesis – What Management Approaches Could Improve Resilience of Estuaries and Lagoons? 83 5.1 Why a Synthesis? 83 5.2 General principles and methodologies (guidelines) 88 5.3 Policy Relevance 88 5.4 Complex Natural Systems and the ‘Law of Unintended Consequences’ 89 5.4.1 Justification of the Interpretation 97 5.5 A Coherent Framework – Social-ecological System Relationships 98 5.5.1 Social, Economic and Political Variables (S) 101 5.5.2 Related SESs (ECO) 102 5.5.3 The Resource System (RS) - foundation 102 5.6 Case Study of an SES – Negombo Lagoon Barrier-built Estuary 116 5.6.1 Case study inferences 125 5.7 Ecosystem Sustainability System: Economic Valuation 126 5.7.1 Ecosystem services of barrier-built estuaries and lagoons 127 5.8 What Are The Sustainability Options For Barrier Built Estuaries and Lagoons? 127 5.8.1 National poverty context 128 5.8.2 Marginalization of barrier-built estuaries and lagoons and associated livelihoods 131 5.9 Ecosystem restoration 132 5.10 Synthesis Summary 133 6. Section 6. Conclusions and Recommendations 135 6.1 Preamble 135 6.2 Conclusions 140 6.2.1 Loss of space for fishery stocks in barrier-built estuaries and lagoons that support livelihoods (Rank VH)’ 140 6.2.2 Meaningfulness of information 141 6.2.3 Actions necessary for sustainability 142 6.2.4 Intended and unintended consequences of development 143 6.2.5 Risks stemming from the neglect of integrated management 143 6.3 Recommendations 144 7. References and Selected Bibliography 145 8. Annexes 155 - vi - Preface This study, based on a colloquium, field assessments of development activities and technical analyses pertaining to barrier-built estuaries and lagoons, was inspired by the positive response to a preceding report captioned ‘An Appraisal of Mangrove Management in Micro-tidal Estuaries and Lagoons in Sri Lanka’ (IUCN, 2011). The colloquium on mangroves gave IUCN an opportunity to recognize the complexity of outcomes that are associated with planting and/ or restoration of the vegetation in the dynamic setting of micro-tidal estuaries and lagoons. It also exposed the gap in information and knowledge that would result in the event that the even more complex parents ecosystems in which mangroves exist, the barrier-built estuaries and lagoons, are left inadequately understood. Therefore IUCN initiated the present study. IUCN has initiated and supported diverse interventions in barrier-built estuaries and lagoons in Sri Lanka since the decade prior to the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004. Following the tsunami, IUCN supported several interventions in selected barrier-built estuaries and lagoons under the Small Grants Programmes of the Green Coast Project and Mangroves for the Future initiative (MFF). The focus of the MFF Initiative in its current phase is integrated coastal management with particular attention to livelihoods and poverty. Therefore, it was necessary to garner insights into sustainable management of barrier-built estuaries and lagoons as ‘ecosystems’ and as development infrastructure for both livelihoods of dependent communities and compatible multiple uses. Participants at the colloquium were surprised to learn that the total annual earnings from fishing in three barrier-built estuaries, Batticaloa, Negombo and Puttalam Lagoon exceeds Rs. 2 billion – indicative of the significance of these ecosystems for livelihood. IUCN recognized that “sustainable solutions to complex problems, such as those encountered in barrier-built estuaries and lagoons, do not come from science, academics, lobby groups, industries or government; they are the product of a society-wide dialogue, and the resulting consensus that is negotiated”. - vii - Participation at the colloquium included government agencies, representatives of community organizations, private sector, academia, the Navy, and experienced scientists. Field work was conducted by Dr. Jayampathy Samarakoon and Prof. Senevi Epitawatte supported by the IUCN team at two barrier-built estuaries Batticaloa Lagoon and Negombo Lagoon. Field discussion and analysis generated valuable insights on development activities that had ‘unintended consequences’ for the ecosystem and dependent livelihoods. The Sri Lanka National Steering Committee of MFF, ably chaired by Dr. L.P.Batuwitage, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment up to August 2011 and since then by Mr Ajith Silva, Director Policy & Planning/ Director, Biodiversity Secretariat, Ministry of Environment supported the study as a priority. The colloquium participants’ enthusiastic engagement provided valuable information on relevant issues from different perspectives. This was the foundation that made this report possible. Dr. Samarakoon served as lead writer of the report and Prof Saman Samarawickrema authored the section on ‘Hydrology, Hydraulics and Hydro-morphology of Barrier-built Estuaries and Lagoons’. The report was critiqued and edited by Dr. Tilak Wettasinghe whose assistance is gratefully acknowledged. The report provides valuable conclusions and recommendations for remedying some problems and issues and for formulating policies for sustainable management of barrier-built estuaries and lagoons. Shamen Vidanage Acting Country Representative December, 2011 - viii - Summary Overview