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TRINCOMALEE BAY SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA Page | 4
D. Coastal Zone Management
15. The Sri Lanka National Coastal Zone Management plan (CZMP) emphasizes the
need for integrated Coastal Zone Management to conserve, develop, and use in a
sustainable manner, the resources in the coastal region. The CZMP provides an assessment
of the status of the coastal environment identifying the nature and magnitude of the problems
and issues to be addressed in the coastal zone. An outline of the existing plan, policies and
programmes, laws, institutional mechanisms, enforcement and present objectives, policies,
strategies and proposed actions comprise the sections of the CZMP.
16. Coastal 2000 1 was an important study in relation to the economic significance of the
coastal region of the country. The study was conducted by CCD with the assistance of
University of Rhode Island (URI) and with the support of United States Aid (USAID). The
study was designed to respond to the coastal peoples’ need to sustain and improve their
quality of life in tangible terms. Coastal 2000 comprised the following elements:-
1. Collaborative coastal management simultaneously at the national,
provincial, district and local levels to achieve effective and participatory
resource management by governmental and non-governmental
agencies,
2. Monitoring of the condition and use of coastal environmental systems
and the outcomes of selected development and resource management
projects through collaboration of the Coast Conservation Department
(CCD), National Aquatic Resources Development Agency (NARA),
Central Environmental Authority (CEA), Irrigation Department (ID),
Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (MFAR) and other
agencies.
3. A research programme of direct relevance to Coastal Resources
Management (CRM) through NARA, national universities and other
institutions which will provide a better understanding of ecological
processes and social and cultural issues as well as provide information
of critical importance to the formulation and implementation of coastal
resources management plans.
4. Strengthening of institutional and human capacity to manage coastal
ecosystems.
5. Updating and extending the scope of the master plan for coastal erosion
management.
6. Creating awareness, both by national and provincial government
personnel and NGOs, of the strategies for coastal resources
management and the issues they address.
17. Generally the coastal zone represents an area of transition where the terrestrial and
marine environment interacts to form a unique ecosystem. Hence the coastal zone covers
landwards areas, inshore waters, inter-tidal areas, estuaries, lagoons and seaward areas.
Since it is necessary to have an administrative and legal demarcation, the Coast
Conservation Act provided the following definition of the coastal zone. The CCD is mandated
to manage the environment of the coastal zone as illustrated in Figure I.1 below.
1
A Resources Management Strategy for Sri Lanka’s Coastal Region, conducted by a collaborative effort of the
URI/USAID