Sri Lanka is a home to a range of ecosystems which support a high diversity of species. In fact, the country is designated as one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world along with the Western Ghats of India. Additionally, Sri Lanka is considered the richest country in the Asian region in terms of species concentration. However, the past decades have seen an increase in threats to the existing biodiversity due to deforestation, habitat fragmentation, spread of invasive species, and overexploitation, much of which is connected to unsystematic land use practices and misuse of land. Therefore, the development of proper landscape management plans has been identified as a key component to overcome this issue.
Land use maps are a key component in ensuring that the protection and sustainable use of ecosystems is integrated into planning processes. The development of holistic land use and land cover maps is vital to mainstreaming key vulnerabilities and risks including climate and disaster risk, focusing on the sustainable use of resources, conserving ecosystems, and linking community-led initiatives to government planning processes. This project focuses on integrating climate and disaster risk management, conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity, as well as the options of scaling up climate action through the integration of Sri Lanka’s climate-related commitments into local planning processes. Further, building on the research and policy related activities, SLYCAN Trust aims to develop pilot ground-level activities that build on landscape management plans developed by the ESCAMP project in the districts of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and Trincomalee.
A Project Supported by Humane Society International
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