International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume IV, Issue V, May 2020|ISSN 2454-6186 www.rsisinternational.org Page 22 Environmental Communication for Mangrove Restoration and Conservation in a Fishing Village, Sri Lanka M. D. K. L. Gunathilaka Department of Geography, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka Abstract:- Puttalam lagoon as the largest and destructed mangrove forest in Sri Lanka has gained much attention from researchers. The study was carried out in Anawasala; a fishing village in Kalpitiya to evaluate the contribution of environmental communication on mangrove restoration and conservation.Randomly 30 households were selected for the questionnaire survey and a vegetation survey was performed too. Field observations were carried out to find out the success of mangrove restoration areas.MS Excel 2013 version and Shannon-wiener diversity index were used for data analysis. The study found that lower education, lack of diverse communication methods, unawareness, poverty negatively impacts on the success of environmental communication. 63 % of participation for restoration programs also depend on small grants. Only female participation was recognized.99% are fishermen. Concerning the carrying capacity of the lagoon, the utmost protection of mangrove is necessary as the source of income of residents is the lagoon. To overcome the barriers to the success of environmental communication and mangrove restoration and conservation education level have to be increased and alternative job opportunities have to be established in the area. Also, the restoration process has to be implemented with more technical and practical methods. Keywords: Anawasala, Ecosystem, Environmental Communication, Mangrove, Restoration I. INTRODUCTION angroves are dicotyledonous woody trees and shrubs that grow in the intertidal area of the coastline in tropical and sub-tropical countries. The common characteristics all mangrove plants possess are tolerance of salt and brackish water. Concerning the species composition, the highest concentrations of species are found in most Southeast Asian and Oceania countries. Approximately forty percent of eighteen million hectares of mangrove forests occupy in Asia .the most significant mangrove forests are Sundarbans in India and Bangladesh, Indonesians mangrove forests. Systematically mangrove ecosystem is a complex and sensitive ecosystem. Mangrove supply habit at for several species where the association process of an ecosystem highly recognized. The association of mangrove and macroalgae species and association of mangrove and bivalve species are salient examples for the association process in the mangrove ecosystem. The complex food web of the mangrove ecosystem is the prominent factor effect for the diversity of mangroves; both in flora and fauna. The ecosystem services of mangroves are very specific. Mangrove is perfect for carbon sequestration which is a green light helpful for the reduction of severe global warming issue. As a type of coastal wetland mangroves hasa high level of economic value. Therefore diversification of livelihoods through communication have to be expanded for the utmost protection of the ecosystem. In the past human pressure towards mangrove was limited. With the demographic explosion in the recentpast, the human disturbance for the ecosystem dramatically increased. The settlementis expanded into marginal areas. As a result of the population explosion mangrove and other types of forests directly become vulnerable for the destruction and degradation. Mangrove forests in coastal belt threatened with the expansion of commercial aquaculture and shrimp farming. Mangrove trunk was used as a source of timber for firewood and pole for the fence. Also, some of the tender leaves of mangrove plant species are used as cattle fodder. As a response for human disturbances, the mangrove areas are now limited only to small patches along the coastal belt. Generally, mangroves are confined only to a narrow strip along the coastal belt including lagoons and estuaries. Because of the limited space occupy for mangroves natural and anthropogenic disturbances are directly affect the destruction of mangroves. During the early1970s, the interest of mangrove ecology began to establish a scientific foundation. The scientific research on mangrove enthusiastically erupts with the severe destruction of mangroves and the identification of mangrove ecosystem services. According to Jayatissa (2012), the current extent of mangroves in Sri Lanka has been estimated between 4000 ha to over 10,000 ha. The Puttalam estuary is the second largest lagoon in the country where the largest mangrove extent of Sri Lanka also can be seen. The mangrove cover presently exists in the lagoon is about 1642.3 ha (Nisansala et al, 2015).Not only the largest mangrove extent but the heaviest destruction of mangroves also exists in Puttalam estuary (Figure 1a and b).As a response to the mass degradation of mangroves, the conservation and restoration process has been activated in the area. Community-based conservation and restoration programs are launched with the integration of government and non-government institutions. The first step of mangrove restoration emerged with the tsunami devastation in 2004. Researchers identified mangrove as a buffer which stands M