Commander (H) Bhanu Abeygunawardhana, Serving as the Military Research Officer (Sri Lanka Navy) at the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS) presented a research abstract during the 11th International Research Symposium organized by the Department of Demography (DemARS-2024) of the University of Colombo on 13th December 2024 under the topic of “Importance of sustainable management of the Sri Lankan coastal ecosystem”.
Moreover, Commander (H) Bhanu Abeygunawardhana, has highlighted that human and environmental systems in Sri Lankan coastal areas are seriously at risk from anthropologic activities and climate changes including sea level rise, temperature rises, ocean acidification, coastal flooding, and coastal erosion and increased in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Furthermore, he has explained that, when combined, the fishery and coastal tourism industries produce 10% of Sri Lanka's foreign exchange profits and 6.7% of the country's employment. Furthermore, the author has endorsed that over eight stakeholders in the country are directly responsible for the management of the sustainable coastal ecosystem in the country and why there is no sound significant management of the coastal ecosystem within the country even though the coastal ecosystem is already at risk.
In particular, the study has found that impacts for sustainable coastal ecosystems are affecting the health, human, economic and environmental security of the country. Finally, the study has intimated several key recommendations, including the mandatory requirement of establishing a centralized command and control within all stakeholders responsible for strengthening and protecting of coastal ecosystem in the country and also recommended having shared value.
