“The Earth does not belong to man. Man belongs to the Earth. Man has not woven the net of life: he is just a thread in it. Everything he does to this net he does to himself. What befalls the Earth will befall the sons of the Earth. We know this. All things are bound up in each other like the blood that binds the family.” – Native American Chief Seattle in 1855
They, our forefathers, knew it, but do we? If we do, why are we digging our own graves by destroying the delicate balance of Nature? If we do not know, then there is something very wrong with all the formal and societal education we have been given, perhaps for generations.
We know, but cannot bother as we have bigger problems to worry about, is it? No, that argument cannot hold water in today’s context, where natural calamities are on the rise, threatening all beings, let alone humans.
Sri Lanka’s wetlands have long been the unsung heroes of the island’s ecological balance. These wetlands, a dynamic mix of rivers, lagoons, man-made reservoirs, canals, lakes and paddy fields sustain life in ways many rarely acknowledge. They provide food, water and energy, regulate the climate and floods, provide breeding grounds for many plant and animal species, and act as natural water purifiers.
Forests Conservator General Nishantha Edirisinghe
“A study has found that about 60 percent of Colombo wetlands are lost since 1980 to 2016. You will agree that our relationship with Nature is broken. We are taking Nature for granted. Our current economic models do not integrate values of Nature adequately. What are we doing wrong, and where do we go from here?” Dr. Chaturangi Wickramaratne, Freshwater Ecologist at International Water Management Institute (IWMI), questioned, highlighting the need of a paradigm shift in the modern day conservation.
Delivering a speech at the monthly lecture titled “The right to survive: Wetlands and you” organised by the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) together with Nations Trust at BMICH in Colombo last week, the young researcher identified solid waste as the most critical threat to urban wetlands, followed by infrastructure development, agricultural runoff and invasive species.
Convention on wetlands
“The Colombo wetlands are the reason why the city is liveable. Due to collaborative effort between state agencies and other stakeholders, the Colombo city got the Ramsar accreditation in 2018,” she added.
Wildlife Conservation Department Protected Area Management Director Manjula Amararatne
The Wetland City Accreditation recognises cities that prioritise the conservation of their natural and man-made wetlands. Colombo was among the first 18 cities to get that accreditation from the Ramsar Secretariat. Another 25 cities received this title in 2022. In January 2025, 31 new cities were added to the list, bringing the global total to 74 accredited cities.
The Ramsar Convention is considered the first modern global intergovernmental environmental treaty. Adopted in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, it came into force in 1975.
The Ramsar Convention defines wetlands as “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres”.
Today, 172 countries are party to this agreement, with 2,532 wetlands covering 258 million hectares designated as Ramsar sites. The “three pillars” of the Convention include wise use of wetlands, their effective management, and international cooperation to protect them.
Freshwater Ecologist
Dr. Chaturangi Wickramaratne
Sri Lanka joined the Ramsar Convention in 1990, with Bundala National Park (6,210 hectares) becoming the country’s first Ramsar site. Since then, five more wetlands have received this international recognition, collectively covering 198,172 hectares.
Once a hotspot for flamingos, Bundala has seen a marked decline in these migratory visitors in recent years, Wildlife Conservation Department Protected Area Management Director Manjula Amararatne said. “The species composition of this park is changing fast,” he said, attributing the change to freshwater intrusion caused by upstream irrigation projects like Lunugamvehera and Veheragala. “Now those lagoons have become freshwater lagoons depriving food for flamingos and other migratory species,” he added.
The Anavilundawa Sanctuary, spanning 1,317 hectares, was designated as a Ramsar site in 2001. “Located in the Puttalam District, this wetland features an ancient cascade system of interconnected small water tanks, a testament to Sri Lanka’s sophisticated hydraulic engineering at that time. Constructed by kings, this system continues to regulate water flow efficiently. The sanctuary’s western boundary is home to a thriving mangrove forest,” Amararatne said.
The Madu Ganga Sanctuary, designated in 2003, (915 hectares) is Sri Lanka’s smallest Ramsar site. Despite its size, Ratha Milla, a critically endangered mangrove species native to Sri Lanka, can only be seen in this area. Today, it is a popular tourist destination with boat safaris. Located in the Galle District near Balapitiya, it consists of a network of islands, mangrove forests, and a lagoon. Visitors can also experience cinnamon production demonstrations on some of the islands.
The Kumana National Park and the Panama-Kudumbigala Sanctuary (19,011-hectares) were designated as a Ramsar Site in 2010. Kumana attracts thousands of migratory and endemic birds. The Panama-Kudumbigala Sanctuary, a protected area adjacent to Kumana, has a mix of rocky outcrops, dense forests, and ancient Buddhist ruins.
Vankalai Sanctuary (4,800 hectares), located in Mannar, was recognised as a Ramsar Wetland in the same year. The prolonged war kept this area largely untouched by human activity for nearly two decades. The site provides feeding and living habitats for a large number of water-bird species, including annual migrants like flamingos. The Wilpattu National Park and adjoining wetlands (165,800 hectares) were declared a Ramsar site in 2013. As Sri Lanka’s largest and one of its oldest national parks, Wilpattu is known for its unique “villu” wetlands.
Amararatne said that four more destinations are currently being considered to be declared as Ramsar wetlands. They are Chundikulum National Park, which is boarded to the Jaffna, Killinochchi and Mullaitivu Districts, Veditalative Nature Reserve together with Vankalai, Adams Bridge National Park linked with the Indian border, Giants Tank Sanctuary in the Mannar District and the Muthurajawela Sanctuary in the Gampaha District.
Growing threats
Forests Conservator General Nishantha Edirisinghe, outlining the challenges for wetlands and their governance, suggested a few remedies.
“Wetlands are dynamic systems and water diversions are slowly killing the wetlands.
Sri Lanka has changed the water flow in all key river basins. River diversion reduces the water availability of wetlands. Dams are preventing the movements of species and several kilometres of rivers are now running in tunnels. Even the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) currently do not fully consider the effect on wetlands from river diversion. We have proposed that Strategic Environmental Assessments are a must for energy, irrigation, fisheries and agriculture projects,” he said.
Identifying forest fires, commonly reported in the prevailing dry weather, as another threat to wetlands, he pointed out that those fires, especially in mountains, affect water and water quality. “There are no natural forest fires in Sri Lanka, but man-made ones,” he stressed. Edirisinghe said that reclaiming wetlands for city development has contributed to their decline. “In the past, we did not think much about the cost of wetland reclamation. We have built key buildings such as the BMICH, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Department of Forests, Ministry of Environment and Sri Lanka Parliament in reclaimed wetlands. Conducting EIAs properly and reporting illegal reclamations before damage is done are essential in going forward,” he added.
“Invasive species pose another challenge. They affect wetland biodiversity. The policy regarding invasive species needs to be backed by an Act. Pollution is another growing threat. Future of wetlands relies on evidence based governance and engagement of all stakeholders, especially the youth,” the Conservator General said.
The way forward
Freshwater Ecology Researcher Dr. Wickramaratne, emphasising the need to look at Nature beyond its worth for humans, said, “We need to recognise the intrinsic value of Nature. Many of the governance or management frameworks that we have today are made by humans for humans, considering that we are the most superior species on Earth, whereas we live along with 9 million other known faunal species.”
She added, “This is not a novel concept, but embedded in all religions. This is neither just a philosophical concept. It is being operationalised in different ways in different countries. For example, New Zealand recognised a river (Whanganui River) as a legal person in 2017. This was the first time a country passed legislation to give a river legal personhood. More recently, it also granted legal personhood to a mountain (Mount Taranaki). Panama passed a National Rights of Nature Law in 2022, incorporating Nature’s rights to exist, persist and regenerate its life cycles. It was enacted in 2023”.
“It is time to consider there are other species and ecological process around us without which our survival will probably be affected. The decisive task for the 21st Century is making peace with Nature, that should be a top priority for everyone, everywhere,” she summed up.
