CHAPTER 2: CIRCLE OF LIFE
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Box 6: Preserving wetlands in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s Colombo metropolitan area, which is flood-prone, has about 2 000 hectares of wetlands, but about 23.5 hectares are disappearing each year. Funds from Japan’s Policy and Human Resources Development Fund (PHRD Grant) and the Global Facility for Disaster Risk and Reduction (GFDRR) have supported studies on flood mitigation and urban wetland design. Now, with the World Bank’s support, the Colombo local government has created its first Policy and Human Resources Development Fund (MCUDP) to protect and restore Beddagana Wetland Park.
According to the plan, almost 2.8 million people living and working in Colombo will benefit directly and indirectly and the project is also expected to generate revenues of approximately USD 13.6 million through recreational facilities provided by wetlands.
2.4 Coastal and marine systems: sea of life
The coastal and marine systems of Asia and the Pacific are among the most productive and dynamic habitats in the world and provide a wide range of services to people (Laurans et al. 2013; Brander et al. 2012; Fortes 1991). Some of the world’s most outstanding coastal areas found in the region include the reefs of the Coral Triangle (Foale et al. 2013) and the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans in the Bay of Bengal (Perry 2011). Ecosystem goods and services provided by these different coastal habitats are estimated to have a natural capital value of up to USD 7.7 billion dollars (UNEP/COBSEA 2010). However, this natural capital may be endangered endangered by rapid economic and population growth (IPBES 2018).
The wealth of coastal and marine ecosystems The Asia-Pacific region is widely recognized as having
the world’s richest coastal and marine biodiversity (UNDP 2014). For example, the Coral Triangle of 5.7 million square kilometres spanning the waters of six Asia-Pacific countries has been identified as a global biodiversity hotspot (Foale et al. 2013). The intrinsic biological value of these ecosystems also underpins many social and economic values (Figure 10). Through SDG 14, which aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development, the oceans have become a global priority for the first time in history.
Coastal and marine ecosystems provide critical regulatory services such as helping to protect people’s lives against natural hazards and the degradation of resources (Jones et al. 2012; Colls et al. 2009). They also provide employment opportunities in tourism and the sustainable harvesting of resources (Bennett et al. 2014; Samonte-Tan et al. 2007). For instance, livelihood security provided by fisheries to local communities in
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