Living in the only wetland capital in the worldBy Dr. Chethika Gunasiri
Join us on Thursday 19 th January 2023, 6 pm, Jasmine Hall, BMICH
The public lecture is open to both members and non-members, ENTRANCE FREE.
Growing urban populations, and climate change, pose enormous challenges to our cities. Urban wetlands are the only green patches in many cities, and with their wide range of ecosystem services, play a major role in making livable and resilient cities. Colombo is a city built on a mosaic of interconnected marshes and waterways; the Colombo Wetland Complex (CWC) with an extent of 19 km 2 .
The Colombo Wetland Management Strategy, developed in 2016, revealed the extremely high dependency of the Colombo Metropolitan Region on the CWC for its ecosystem services - including flood-control, cooling effects, water treatment, urban biodiversity, livelihood opportunities, urban food security, recreational and educational opportunities, etc. This relationship between the City and the Wetland Complex, and its integration into urban development, contributed to Colombo being accredited as a Ramsar Wetland City, in 2018; the first and only Capital City which boasts this title. However, despite all conservation activities, the Colombo wetlands still experience significant anthropogenic pressure due to humans’ actions. We need to use the Colombo wetlands wisely to create a resilient and inhabitable Capital City for the present, and the future.
