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TRINCOMALEE BAY SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA Page | 50 8. Presentation of draft SAM Plan to CCD 212. Since CCD is the final authority for approving the SAM Plan it needs to be submitted to the CCD for views and suggestions. Once the CCD suggestions and views have been incorporated it can then be submitted to the higher authority by NECCDEP for formal processing and approval. D. Present status of issues/threats in management of SAM Area 213. Several environmental issues were identified through the consultation process, the review of studies, including special studies, and field studies. Most of these issues were identified in earlier studies and in the interim SAM planning process. Important issues to be addressed by the comprehensive SAM Plan are briefly described below. 1. Weak law enforcement process 214. Illegal activities such as destruction of forests and mangroves, encroachment, sand and gravel mining, and illegal fisheries are secondary issues resulting from weak law enforcement. The consultation process and field visits revealed the absence of relevant officers, low levels of field monitoring and lack of community based linkages. Under these circumstances individuals can violate the rules and regulations without censure resulting in overexploitation to the longer term detriment of the community as a whole. 228. Strengthening the law enforcement process is the solution for most of the issues raised during the consultation process. 2. Lack of proper boundary demarcation for natural habitats, reservation and estuaries 215. This is a significant issue because the lack of proper boundaries provides opportunities for people to break the law on the basis that they are not aware of/have not been informed about, the boundaries. Field studies suggest that this is the cause of encroachment of mangrove in Kinniya. The state agencies also face difficulties in prosecuting boundary related cases in the courts when proper boundaries are not marked. As a result, state officers are reluctant to take action against culprits. Hence it is necessary to undertake a proper boundary survey and demarcation with clear boundary markers. Such a process generally discourages individuals from entering demarcated areas because they know that they are breaking the law. 216. It was very clear, from the field visits, that demarcating the boundary for the SAM area is difficult because of the existing land uses. 3. Lack of coordinating mechanism 217. Many state agencies and NGOs are operating as individual entities to implement different activities, or even the same activities. This can be both confusing and counterproductive. Collaboration and information exchange is the solution. Hence the need for the DSAM CCC. In addition whilst most of the agencies are implanting activities to achieve a common goal uncoordinated interventions are not sufficient to address some issues. The sharing and combining of resources can lead to more efficient delivery. 218. Security forces, particularly the Navy, maintain several checkpoints around the bay area and those officers could minimise the illegal cutting of mangroves and encroachments if there are proper coordination mechanisms. Hence it is necessary to include representatives from security forces in the DSAM CCC.
TRINCOMALEE BAY SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA Page | 51 4. Lack of community participation as well as assistance for the management 219. During the consultation process, it was revealed that lack of community participation and assistance for conservation are key constraints to effective management. It is not possible for state agencies to implement activities successfully in isolation without community participation. If the community does not feel that it is a partner in the process then it may not cooperate. The general complaint from communities is that they are unaware of the programs that are being implemented. It is, therefore, necessary to build proper awareness amongst the communities and involve them in planning, implementation and monitoring. Such participation will also help with enforcement since the communities will view illegal activities as contrary to their interests. 220. The draft SAM Plan was presented to the communities before finalization and the finalised plan will also be presented to them for their information and to indicate their responsibilities in implementation and monitoring. This process will ensure proper community participation. 5. Illegal fishery activities or destructive fishery practices and problems 221. Fishing is an important livelihood activity for communities living around bay. Four types of fishery activities are taking place. They are: Beach seining, near-shore fishing, out board fishing at sea and fishing in the estuaries and bays within the Trincomalee bay. The number of fishermen has increased in the recent past, particularly after the tsunami. This number has further increased with relaxation of security measures which formerly hampered the fishing time, distance and even the type of boat that could be used. 222. Sustainable fishing is a very important component of any wetland management plan and it is a win-win situation for management authorities and fishing communities if it can be delivered. However use of destructive fishing practices, often as a response to reducing catch per unit effort, further reduce sustainability. Dynamite fishing is banned but was recorded even in areas with tight security by the SAM planning team. NARA studies reveal that dynamite fishing creates lot of damage to fish populations, coral reefs and other fish habitat. The Department of Fisheries has so far failed to control the situation and needs to address it as early as possible. 223. Proper law enforcement, regulating fishing by gear type, number of gears including beach seines, and the duration of fishing are potential interventions to help deliver sustainable fisheries in Trincomalee bay SAM. The role of the Department of Fisheries is critical in these respects and needs to be strengthened. 224. Discussions with Assistant Director (AD-DFAD) and Fisheries Inspectors revealed that a lack of officers is a key issue in delivering effective law enforcement. During the period when the security forces restricted offshore fishing activities DFAD adopted a soft approach to law enforcement process for the lagoon fishery to allow fishers to maintain a livelihood. However, this meant that use of illegal fishing gear became more common. With the removal of all fishing restrictions by the security forces DFAD is planning to implement more stringent rules and regulation to reduce the use of illegal fishing gears and dynamite fishing. DFAD also indicated that NAQDA is planning to introduce the fish cage culture and prawn farming with the assistance of NARA. These agencies have identified potential areas which are given in chapter IV. 225. Lessons learned from prawn farming in Puttlam District show that unmanaged prawn farming damages coastal water bodies and habitats. It is, therefore, necessary to adopt proper Environment Impact Assessment procedures before issuing licenses for prawn farming. The Central Environment Authority and Coast Conservation Department, as
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FOREWORD This Trincomalee Bay Speci
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PREFACE "Reawakening East" is one o
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Special Area M
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