UNDP, Environment Ministry sign $ 4.5 m biodiversity project

Wednesday, 9 September 2026 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Environment Ministry Secretary K.R. Uduwawala with UNDP Sri Lanka Resident Representative Azusa Kubota

Five-year, GEF-funded initiative to cover Ampara, Batticaloa and Hambantota districts
Project to strengthen coastal ecosystem governance, financing and community livelihoods

The Environment Ministry and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) signed a Project Document recently for a five-year, $ 4.507 million initiative to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services along Sri Lanka’s eastern and southern coastal regions.

The project, titled “Promoting Sustainable Economic Benefits through the Conservation of Critical Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in the Eastern and Southern Coastal Regions of Sri Lanka,” is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). It will be implemented by the Environment Ministry under the National Implementation Modality, with UNDP support.

The project covers the Ampara, Batticaloa and Hambantota districts. It will take a community-focused, multi-sectoral approach to safeguard terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems, while building climate resilience and supporting sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities.

Environment Ministry Secretary K.R. Uduwawala and UNDP Sri Lanka Resident Representative Azusa Kubota signed the

agreement.