WNPS lecture on “Living in the only wetland capital in the world” today

Thursday, 19 January 2023 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Bellanwila Attidiya Wetlands - image by David Colin Thome

Dr. Chethika Gunasiri

Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) will hold its monthly lecture today titled “Living in the only wetland capital in the world” today at 6.00 p.m. at the Jasmine Hall, BMICH.

The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Chethika Gunasiri, an environmental professional who has more than 10 years of experience in the field of urban ecosystem management. Currently, she is working as an Environmental Scientist at Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation and is mainly involved in the restoration, management, and wise use of urban wetlands to achieve sustainable city development. She was a member of the team preparing the Colombo Wetland Management Strategy and the application for the Ramsar Wetland City Accreditation for Colombo City.

Her main research areas are planning and designing urban green spaces, the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem nexus in cities, urban ecosystem assessment, and urban shrinkage and ageing in developing countries. Chethika completed her Ph.D. in Sustainability Science at the United Nations University in Japan. She holds an M.Sc. in Earth Science from the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan, MBA from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and a Bachelor’s in Zoology from the University of Colombo. She was a former South Asia Regional Representative of the Wetland Link International-Asia steering committee, and member of the Institute of Environmental Professionals Sri Lanka (IEPSL), and the former Assistant Secretary and a council member of IEPSL.

WNPS said urbanisation is one of the major trends which completely transforms where and how people live in the future. This growing urban population together with climate change impacts brings enormous challenges to cities. Urban wetlands are the only green patches in many cities and through their wide range of ecosystem services, they play a major role in making liveable and resilient cities. Colombo is a city built on a mosaic of interconnected marshes and waterways which is known as the Colombo Wetland Complex (CWC) which expands over 19 km2.

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 human actions. “We need to use the Colombo wetlands wisely to create a resilient and inhabitable capital city for the present, and the future,” WNPS said.

The monthly lecture of the WNPS is supported by the Nations Trust Bank. It is open to both members and non-members, entrance free.