ComBank supports BSL project to conserve Kayankerni Marine Sanctuary

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has joined the ‘Life to Our Coral Reefs’ initiative of the Sri Lanka Business and Biodiversity Platform popularly referred to as Biodiversity Sri Lanka (BSL), pledging the support in an effort to conserve the Kayankerni Marine Sanctuary located between Panichankerni and Kalkuda in the Batticaloa District.

The five-year project to be conducted by BSL under the guidance of the Department of Wildlife Conservation in technical partnership with the Blue Resources Trust (BRT), is intended to enhance the resilience of the coral ecosystem, its capacity for renewal and the provision of ecosystem services, while contributing to the socio-economic wellbeing and development of local communities.

An area of 953 hectares, the Kayankerni Sanctuary was declared under the Fauna and Flora Protection

According to BSL, export-oriented fisheries focusing on species like groupers, snappers and parrot fish boost the local economy but strain fish populations and fragile coral reefs due to unsustainable fishing methods, notably bottom-set nets.

Additionally, the expansion of aquaculture indirectly affects the marine environment with nutrient-rich effluents and runoff from agriculture in the Maduru Oya basin causes algal growth, disease spread  and coral loss.

With the support of Commercial Bank and other corporate entities, the Kayankerni coral reef project will encompass planning and forging community-based connections, preparation for field-based activities, and identifying and establishing partnerships with stakeholders. Activities will be guided by the requirements of IUCN’s Global Nature-based Solutions Standard, and baseline monitoring for the site will be undertaken by the Blue Resources Trustunder the guidance of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC).