Introduction

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. 

Sri Lanka is a home to a range of ecosystems which support a high diversity of species. In fact,  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.

The Ecosystem Conservation and Management Project (ESCAMP) implemented by the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation with the financial support of the World Bank focuses on developing a comprehensive management framework for securing and sustaining ecosystem services, including the conservation of biodiversity, natural and cultural protected areas and the enhancement of socioeconomic development. The project focuses on the development of landscape management plans as one of its primary outcomes, incorporating both ecosystems and economic dimensions which relate to the areas through identification of existing livelihoods and mapping of natural resources to strengthen adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities and contribute to sustainable national development.

SLYCAN Trust’s 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 and ESCAMP aims to develop pilot ground-level activities that build on landscape management plans developed for the Hurulu-Kawudulla-Kanthale area representing the districts Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee. As an initial step, the Virtual Dialogue on Integrating Sustainable Landscape Management into Local Planning Processes will be organised to highlight the importance of developing landscape management plans for sustainable national development.

Objectives

• Increase awareness of the importance of holistic land use maps and the need to develop them for better landscape planning and management processes related to sustainable national development

• Share information related to land use and landscape management plans and the engagement of multiple stakeholders in the planning processes.

• Identify options to integrate aspects related to climate and disaster risk management, livelihoods enhancement, community empowerment, and conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystems.

• Enhance understanding and awareness to enhance the multi-actor participation and contribution to holistic land-use management and landscape planning.

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  Just transition in the energy sector
  - Key elements to ensure just transition in the energy sector
  - Gaps and challenges faced in integrating aspects and strategies of just transition in the energy sector
  - Institutional structures and role of actors in achieving just transition in the energy sector
  - Entry points and opportunities for integrating just transition into climate policy initiatives and actions
  - Success stories, best practices, and experience sharing on initiatives

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  Ensuring just transition in the food sector
  - Key elements of just transition and their relation to global and local food systems
  - Gaps and challenges faced in integrating aspects and strategies of just transition in the food sector
  - Institutional structures and role of actors in achieving just transition in the food sector
  - Entry points and opportunities for integrating just transition into climate policy initiatives and actions
  - Success stories, best practices, and experience sharing on initiatives

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  Gender, inclusion, social protection, and cross-cutting aspects related to just transition
  - Key cross-cutting aspects related to just transition
  - Interlinks for integration of just transition with climate action and into different climate policy and action processes
  - Impacts of COVID-19 and the role of recovery actions in contributing toward just transition
  - Success stories, best practices, and experience sharing on initiatives