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Our Vision (2)
Our Vision (1)

Our vision

To protect the mangrove resource by educating the community about the importance of the mangrove environment and its value, to become a major contributor to the world's environmental conservation by restoring the largest number of hectares of mangroves in Sri Lanka.

Our Mission

Educating the community about mangroves, designating them as protected areas, introducing them to sustainable use methods, introducing alternative sources of income to the community and replanting mangroves in places where mangroves have been destroyed, providing comparable services to man and the environment.

Our Mission (1)
Our Mission (2)
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Mangrove Restoration Projects

The TCP had undertaken a similar project in 2005 and had successfully completed the restoration of 500 hectares of mangroves. Current project is also underway since 2021 for restoration and conservation of 3,000 hectares of mangroves along the coastline of Sri Lanka. The layout and the planting areas has been planned out in consultation with a specialist team comprising of TCP officers, Local government officials, Research team and the GIS mapping team. Data collected from the field and locality are analyzed for suitability to plant the mangroves and the areas are selected considering the data analysis.

Site Selection

The project has planned to replant mangroves nearly 7.0 million around the country. Suitable sites are selected through a consultative process with communities and relevant government officers in the field level. We have already obtained a list of potential planting sites from the department of Coast Conservation and Coastal resources Management.

Collection of Saplings

In addition to their adaptation to salty conditions, mangroves have also evolved innovative reproductive strategies. Mangrove embryos grow directly on the parent tree, and are dropped as propagules only once fully developed. Some propagules may take root in the soil beneath the parent tree, but others may float for an extended period of time before anchoring to the shore. Once a site selected for planting, we give our first priority to collect planting materials around the site. Since turtle conservation project is very concern about plastic and polythene pollution in the coastal areas we try as much as possible to plant seedlings directly without nursing them. We believe that we can contribute to minimize coastal area pollution. There is scientific evidence that planting rhizophora seedling directly without nursing has achieved about 60% of survival rate.

Sorting of sapling

The saplings thus collected are sorted to select the mature ones. Only the best quality saplings are selected for planting. For every 100,000 saplings chosen, there are approximately 35,000 saplings which are discarded due to poor quality. It takes about 3 days to sort through 100,000 mature saplings. The people that are sorting through these saplings are paid a daily wage during this period

Transportation of Saplings

The collected saplings are transported to different collection centers in specific localities. In certain cases, these saplings need to be transported to and from nurseries to planting locations. These saplings are taken to the collection centers and to nurseries and planting locations through numerous forms of transport such as boat, Lorries and tuk tuks. As such, the drivers and helpers of the vehicles used for transport also benefit from this project as they are compensated for their services.

Planting

When planted direct in the lagoon the people also benefit directly as they are paid for the number of saplings planted. When planting saplings in the nurseries, another few members of the community are involved in making the soil mixture which is required to fill in the bags. The soil mixture includes sand, clay and coconut fiber dust which they have to purchase separately and mix manually. This process can be done within the nursery. This activity is also a livelihood for several people in the community.

Fencing

When planted direct in the lagoon the people also benefit directly as they are paid for the number of saplings planted. When planting saplings in the nurseries, another few members of the community are involved in making the soil mixture which is required to fill in the bags. The soil mixture include sand, clay and coconut fiber dust which they have to purchase separately and mix manually. This process can be done within the nursery.

Monitoring & Evaluation

The collected saplings are transported to different collection centers in specific localities. In certain cases, these saplings need to be transported to and from nurseries to planting locations. These saplings are taken to the collection centers and to nurseries and planting locations through numerous forms of transport such as boat, Lorries and tuk tuks. As such, the drivers and helpers of the vehicles used for transport also benefit from this project as they are compensated for their services.

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Our Research

Turtle Conservation Project (TCP) conducts the research with a scientific approach on the survival and growth of Rhizophora mucronate seedlings planted in lagoons and measure carbon emissions (in plant biomass and soil) and habitat providing functions. In particular, a professional research team is appointed to carry out all the research work and they present new findings with research publications. Mainly, in this research process, overall data collection is done by research assistants. In addition, it is hoped to identify the unique features of the ecosystem by identifying the flora and fauna species in the mangrove ecosystem.

Prof. Mala Amarasinghe from the Department of Botany, University of Kelaniya, a leading Mangrove ecologist in the country takes leadership on this research programme especially on flora.

The post-evaluation of randomly selected mangrove plantations was conducted by an expert team working with the TCP, involved in compiling a comprehensive database to organize the collected information. This data was gathered based on a set of criteria consisting of qualitative and quantitative parameters. By evaluating both qualitative and quantitative criteria, the expert team can an make informed decisions regarding mangrove plantation locations.This approach enables a more comprehensive understanding of the ecological factors influencing mangrove restoration and afforestation, facilitating effective management, conservation, and future planning efforts.

The objective focuses on assessing the diversity of aquatic fauna species inhabiting the afforested and replanted mangrove areas. The researchers conducted surveys and sampling to identify and quantify various aquatic organisms, including fish, crustaceans, mollusc, and other invertebrates, present in those mangrove habitats in similar sites as floral sampling conducted. By documenting aquatic fauna diversity, the study aims to evaluate the ecological value and habitat suitability of planted mangrove areas for supporting diverse aquatic communities and promoting ecosystem health. Of the crustaceans species recorded, Mud crab (Scylla serrata), Giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) and (Metapenaeus elegans) are economically important species and fishermen harvest them when the mangrove substratum is covered with water.

The Walkley-Black (WB) method (Walkley and Black, 1934) determines soil organic carbon (OC) by oxidizing carbon with acidic dichromate (Cr2O72-). This method quantifies the amount of oxidizable organic matter in which OM is oxidized with a known amount of chromate in the presence of sulfuric acid. The oxidation step is followed by titration of excess dichromate with ferrous sulfate. The OC is calculated from the difference between the total dichromate added and the amount of dichromate left unreacted after OC oxidation. The method provides an estimate of soil OM from OC determination with assumptions on the fraction of soil OC reacted and the amount of OC in soil OM.

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Mangroves in Sri Lanka

Avicennia marina

Avicennia marina

Xylocarpus granatum

Xylocarpus granatum

Nypa fruticans

Nypa fruticans

Avicennia officinalis

Avicennia officinalis

Rhizophora mucronata

Rhizophora mucronata

Rhizophoro apiculata

Rhizophoro apiculata

Bruguiera gymnorhiza

Bruguiera gymnorhiza

Bruguiera cylindrica

Bruguiera cylindrica

Sonneratia alba

Sonneratia alba

Lumnitzera racemosa

Lumnitzera racemosa

Acanthus ilicifolius

Acanthus ilicifolius

Number of Plants & Areas Restored

Puttalam District Plants / Area

2,097,199 / 466.0441 ha

Batticaloa District Plants / Area

644,278 / 143.1728 ha

Mullaitivu District Plants / Area

5,415,042 / 1203.3427 ha

Ampara District Plants / Area

755,960 / 167.991 ha

Trincomalee District Plants / Area

3,757,379 / 834.9728 ha

About Mangrove

Mangrove forests are among the world's most economically valuable ecosystems in terms of providing multiple ecosystem services, including biodiversity, carbon sequestration, anchoring coastal ecosystems, climate regulation.

Get In Touch!

  • No. 72/4, Old Galle Road, Walana, Panadura.
  • +94 38 3370522
  • turtle@sltnet.lk
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