Last updated: June 2024
A multi-purpose green belt (12 km in length of Batticaloa Municipal Corporation coast) was established to protect the lagoon and coastal areas, restore mangrove ecosystems and improve coastal biodiversity. The project comes under activity 1.3 of the overarching project Climate Resilient Action Plans for Coastal Urban Areas in Sri Lanka (CCSL). The project focuses on the most urgent and immediate needs of the Sri Lankan coastal cities in adapting to climate change, and mitigating risks and the severity of impacts through Disaster Risk Management (DRM). The green belt plantation was done with Casuarinas plantation in 400 ha (out of which 75% by Mandru and 25% by the Forest Department), mangrove forest redesigning and protection of the existing vegetation. [1, 2, 6]
Previously existing green belt
http://unhabitat.lk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/DRRPBtEng.pdf
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Coastlines
- Coastal wetland, mangroves and salt marshes
- Other
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
- Parks and urban forests
- Green corridors and green belts
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Climate change mitigation
- Coastal resilience and marine protection (SDG 14)
- Coastal protection / hazard mitigation
- Marine and coastal research and/or education
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Green space creation and/or management
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Coastal landscape management or protection, Ecological restoration of ecosystems
Project objectives
1. Increase resilience to multi-disaster situations (e.g. storms, strong winds, flooding) through mangrove and tree reforestation,
2. facilitate community activities through spatial re-arrangements, and enhancement of the biodiversity of coastal ecosystems,
3. protect the coastal beaches and other geo-morphological forms from sudden wind and wave processes,
4. strengthen the economic benefit transfers to the local community. [2]
Implementation activities
Implemented activities included redesigning of the multipurpose green belt, with a series of rapid assessments including plant inventory of coastal belt, land cover mapping, activity survey and a comprehensive local stakeholder consultation process.
The detailed designs were prepared after consultation with the local communities and the designs were verified at a multi-stakeholder validation meeting with the common consensus supported by local political will and commitment on way forward. The green network of BMC was studied by conducting field reconnaissance survey/ windscreen surveys/ brainstorming sessions among the project team, study of the activities, stakeholder workshops / local community and developing a plant inventory for the coastal belt between 01st December 2011 and 31st January 2012.
A detailed activity study was conducted by the project team between the 01st Jan 2012 to 25th Jan 2012 to obtain an in-depth understanding of the 12km coastal stretch. Further, by considering the study findings with the project concept, 5 sites were finalized for detail participatory design. [2, 3, 4]
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Protect coastal and freshwater ecosystems to prevent coastal erosion and pollution
- Restore wetlands and/or coastal ecosystems to dissipate the effects of flooding and/or storms
Climate change mitigation:
- Increase green urban nature for carbon storage (wetlands, tree cover)
- Raise public awareness of behaviours, lifestyle and cultural changes with mitigation potential
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Create new habitats
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
- Means for conservation governance
- Manage biological resources for conservation and sustainable use
- Raise public awareness
- Public engagement
- Capacity building
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore native species
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- National-level government
- Local government/Municipality
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed), Other
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Researchers/university
- Multilateral organisation
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
Development Partners: NCF - Nordic Climate Facility (Through NIVA)
Partners: Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA); University of Moratuwa (UoM); Batticaloa Municipal Council (BMC) and Negombo Municipal Council (NMC) [1]
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for Sri Lanka 2011-2016)
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Multilateral funds/international funding
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
- Enhanced carbon sequestration
- Environmental quality
- Improved protection against strong wind
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Improved stormwater management
- Enhanced protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Reduce financial cost for urban management
Socio-cultural impacts
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
Yes
References
1. UN-HABITAT (n.d.). Climate Resilient Action Plans for Coastal Urban Areas. URL: Source link. Accessed on 4th October, 2021.
2. Climate resilient action plans for Coastal urban areas in Sri Lanka (CCSL). Implementation of CRASSAPs. Lessons Learnt Training Manual for Sri Lankan Coastal Cities. Prepared By: University of Moratuwa (UOM), Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN- HABITAT), Batticaloa Municipal Council (BMC), Negombo Municipal Council (NMC). Source link on 4th October, 2021.
3. Reliefweb (2011). Nordic funding to Enhance Resilience to Climate Change in Coastal Sri Lankan Cities. URL: Source link. Accessed on 4th October, 2021.
4. Nordic Climate Facility (2011). Climate Resilient Action Plans for Coastal Urban Areas. URL: Source link. Accessed on 4th October, 2021.
5. Kodagoda, A. (2012). Pilot Project to develop Batticaloa district. Sunday Observer. UN-HABITAT. URL: Source link. Accessed on 4th October, 2021.
6. Batticaloa disaster risk reduction and preparedness plan: towards a sustainable and resilient city. URL: Source link. Accessed on 4th October, 2021.
2. Climate resilient action plans for Coastal urban areas in Sri Lanka (CCSL). Implementation of CRASSAPs. Lessons Learnt Training Manual for Sri Lankan Coastal Cities. Prepared By: University of Moratuwa (UOM), Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN- HABITAT), Batticaloa Municipal Council (BMC), Negombo Municipal Council (NMC). Source link on 4th October, 2021.
3. Reliefweb (2011). Nordic funding to Enhance Resilience to Climate Change in Coastal Sri Lankan Cities. URL: Source link. Accessed on 4th October, 2021.
4. Nordic Climate Facility (2011). Climate Resilient Action Plans for Coastal Urban Areas. URL: Source link. Accessed on 4th October, 2021.
5. Kodagoda, A. (2012). Pilot Project to develop Batticaloa district. Sunday Observer. UN-HABITAT. URL: Source link. Accessed on 4th October, 2021.
6. Batticaloa disaster risk reduction and preparedness plan: towards a sustainable and resilient city. URL: Source link. Accessed on 4th October, 2021.
Layout of the green belt
http://unhabitat.lk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/DRRPBtEng.pdf
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the UNA global extension project funded by the British Academy.