Project

Managing together: Integrating community-centered, ecosystem-based approaches into forestry and tourism sectors

Lead country

Sri Lanka

Participating countries

Sri Lanka

Project status

Under implementation

Implementing period

From January 1, 2021 to January 1, 2025

SDGs addressed by this project

SDG targets

  1. 15.1 Conserve, restore, sustainably use terrestrial, freshwater ecosystems
  2. 15.9 Integrate ecosystem values into national planning
  3. 15.b Mobilize resources, incentives for sustainable forest management

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