As an Island nation, Sri Lanka has benefited from the vast Indian Ocean for millennials in the form of a marine trading hub. It has been exporting the purest of cinnamon, spices, gems, elephants, and a host of other products to several prominent global power centres including the Holy Roman Empire in the West to the Chinese Empire in the East using sea lanes. These invaluable products and the strategic location as a sea-faring nation attracted not just traders but also greedy colonial powers making Sri Lanka a colony of not one but three European nations. Portuguese, Dutch, and English all had their fair share of rule, robbing the island of its treasures and the freedom of its citizens while freely riding Sri Lanka’s Ocean region for nearly 400-plus years. It has been almost 8 decades since Colombo got rid of the last colonial master, Britain from its lands winning independence. While many post-colonial seafaring nations have made expansive use of their respective water bodies, Sri Lanka has somehow missed the bus totally. 

A few notable developments could be observed from colonial times to current days concerning marine regions and the adjacent communities on the island.

Thirty years of ruthless civil war wrecked Sri Lanka’s economy as a whole let alone giving any space for blue economic activities. The ocean front of the North and East where seaweed and other valuable aquatic resources are available in plentiful, remained battle fronts. One positive thing about the war was that neither the ocean bed nor the coastal belts of those regions were used for exploitation and harmful economic activities. The same could not be said about the rest of the marine areas elsewhere. Political henchmen and powerful business individuals carried out devastating development activities such as shrimp farms, and hotels even in the marine protected areas. Unregulated safari boating activities and poaching contributed to the destruction of coral reefs and their ecosystems. Bottom fishing and IUU  fishing activities by Indian, and Chinese fisher communities had a terrible impact on marine habitats as well as the local fisher communities. Plastic pollution skyrocketed while many marine accidents involving ships with dangerous cargo destroyed not just the ocean but also the coastal belt. 

A summarised interpretation of the country’s ocean economy and marine habitat since the end of colonialism is as follows. To date, the use of the Indian Ocean has been limited to what it was used since antiquity, namely trading and fishing. Many natural riches on the oceanfront have been neglected while the communities that should have been reaping the benefits are stuck in a vicious financial cycle. The worst of all is the total lack of awareness and unpreparedness of its citizens and the ruling elites of the impending climate crisis as well as total defencelessness in the face of many marine accidents that have endangered the ocean fronts.

The gulf between oceanic resources and the condition of the communities remains wide. An absolute majority of the northern fisherfolk and coastal communities in general, live below the poverty line with a very low quality of life, suffering from acute food insecurity among other issues. The only usage of the Indian Ocean for them is for seasonal fishing making them unemployed during the monsoon seasons. Many war widows who are also single mothers as well as fisher community females in general survive with government subsidies without employment despite the availability of potential marine-based employment. They remain unaware of the pending threats to their livelihoods and communities by the impacts of climate change as well as the possibility of using the sea for multiple activities. For decades those communities have been stuck in a financial, social vicious cycle making them vulnerable to not only the adverse climate change impacts but also to discrimination and exploitation. The worst affected are the females. 

Although the ground reality remains in such appalling conditions, the ocean-based economic potential is unprecedented. Assessing the above background, the conclusion one could draw is to find a solution based on local context and capacities. A “win-win-win” solution would be to empower the community; protect the environment and contribute to the national economy. In summary, Primarily addresses the poverty and gender inequality issues in coastal communities in Sri Lanka while mitigating various impacts of the climate crisis by utilizing available resources. Although “One size fits all” type solutions are unheard of, one could map out a few sustainable, resilient, long-term solutions.

There have been some inroads made with regard to exploring the oceanic economy, but the country remains way behind its counterparts in the ASEAN region and many Coastal states. Other than the know-how, and technological gaps the country lacks a credible Implementing Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), strengthening Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and enforcing Marine Protection Legislation. The general public and stakeholders are unaware of emerging trends such as carbon capturing and blue carbon trading. There is no national policy plan that goes hand in hand with the SGDS to bring the current level of oceanic economic engagement goals to its true potential or to make it sustainable.

However, there is some silver lining on the horizon. Among many ocean-based opportunities, Sri Lanka has made some progress in Seaweed cultivation which has gained popularity in the country in recent times. Seaweed cultivation has become a global phenomenon with varied success in different parts of the world. Sri Lanka’s share is negligible both in scope and volume. Regardless there is hope and scope. But even in Seaweed cultivation Sri Lanka has to walk a very fine line. The objective should not be growing seaweed at any cost. The introduction of sustainable Seaweed cultivation using IMTA methods, engaging the majority of unemployed women as stakeholders, and regular awareness programs for protecting the Habitat will address the short-term financial issues, and social issues and will contribute to long-term climate resilience. In a designated area seaweed collection projects could be commenced which could later be converted into seaweed farms. Part of the collected seaweed could be exported and another used for local needs at the initial stage. After scaling up, processing centres for food both raw and processed have to be set up. A part of the sea area could be used to grow seagrass to mitigate the climate crisis. The seaweed sector should be directly connected to various R&D institutes to make alternative products to replace the current nondegradable materials. The government should make tax exemptions, and invest in a marine-based startup culture for the long-term sustainability of the sector.

Sri Lanka is located in a region highly vulnerable to devastating climate impacts and remains in a totally ill-protected state of affairs. With its economic woes and lack of technical, and financial capacities there is every danger that the very ocean which can tilt the economic balance could turn into the country’s worst nightmare. If the authorities and the citizenry fail to act at the needed hour, it will be a day late a dollar short for the Island nation.

by Dhanuka Dickwella