Lead country
Sri Lanka
Participating countries
Sri Lanka
Project status
Under implementation
Implementing period
From January 1, 2021 to January 1, 2025
Project ID: 5804
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Technical team
- Ecosystems and Biodiversity Programme
Technical area(s)
- Mainstreaming biodiversity
- Ecosystem management and restoration
Sub-area(s)
- Wildlife conservation
- Agrobiodiversity
- Biodiversity financing
- Ecosystem-based adaptation
- Ecosystem-based mitigation
Landscape(s)
- Forests
- FreshWaters
- Marine
Sub-landscape(s)
- Tropical forests
- Dryland forests
- Rivers and river basins
- Coral reefs
- Seas
- Seagrasses
Transformed sector(s)
- Forestry and other land use
- Tourism
- Agriculture
UNDP role(s)
- Capacity development / Technical assistance
- Institutional mechanism and system building
Strategy
- Governance
- Management operation
- Enabling
Sub-strategy
- Inter-sectoral coordination
- Participatory governance models
- Partnerships
- Ecosystem-based management
- Sustainable land management
- Mainstream
- Community engagement
- Advocacy (towards policy makers)
Social inclusion
- Local community/CSOs
- Smallholder farmers
Gender equality
- Livelihoods for women
- Gender-responsive policies
Gender result effectiveness scale
N/A
Pathway(s)
- People pathway
- Systems pathway
Risk reduction target(s)
- Hazard control/mitigation
- Improve resilience
SDG target(s)
- 15.1 Conserve, restore, sustainably use terrestrial, freshwater ecosystems
- 15.9 Integrate ecosystem values into national planning
- 15.b Mobilize resources, incentives for sustainable forest management
Conventions and protocols
- National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs)
- National Action Plan
- Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Private sector(s)
N/A
Hot topic
- Multi-stakeholder collaboration
Project description
Owing to high levels of genetic and species diversity and endemism, Sri Lanka is designated as one of 34 globally significant biodiversity hotspots identified by Conservation International (CI). Birdlife International (BI) has identified the country as one of the worldÂs 356 endemic bird areas. Sri LankaÂs lowland rainforests, montane rainforests and south-western rivers and streams are listed in WWFÂs Global 200 eco-regions. This extremely high species diversity including a high level of endemism can be attributed to three factors. First, the wide variety of climatic, topographic and soil conditions that has resulted in high habitat variability (Sri Lanka comprise of 14 Great Soil Groups, 23 Agro-ecological regions, 15 floristic regions and four major ecosystems that can be further divided into 29 sub-systems). Second, abundance of water that includes 103 river basins and large number of man made tanks. Third, long period of isolation from the closest land mass and presence of large number of natural barriers isolating species promoting evolution of new species as evidenced by the presence of high level of endemicity in most taxonomic groups. For instance, 28% of the 3,771 species of flowering plants, 22% of the 96 species of mammals, 15% of the 227 bird species, 88% of the 255 species of land snails, 55% of the 102 species of freshwater fishes, 86% of the 119 species of amphibians, 65% of the 216 species of reptiles and 98% of the 51 species of fresh water crabs found in the country are endemic. Endemism among vertebrates is about 43%, with the highest endemism quotient being recorded among the herpetefauna and freshwater fishes. More than 75% of the endemic species of flora and fauna are restricted to the tropical wet forests located in the southwestern region of Sri Lanka.
USD $3,446,708
Grant amount
USD $29,252,222
Leveraged amount (co-financing)
1
Source(s) of fund
Sources of fund
- Global Environment Facility – Trust Fund ($3,446,708)
Implementing partner(s)
- Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment
Related resources
Geospatial information
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Project reports and documentation