Pointing out that it is useless to wait for foreign funds to deal with climate change and protect the environment, the president also said that tropical countries should focus on environment-related trade projects and work to get the funds they need.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe mentioned this yesterday (20) while attending the closing ceremony of ‘WLI Asia Oceania Conference 2024’ held at Voter’s Age Hotel, Bhattaramulla.
Organized for the first time by the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation under the Ministry of Housing, the conference was held from 17th to 21st June at Bhattaramulla Theasaru Park with a view to promote conservation and sustainable management and cooperation of wetlands.
Organized under the theme “Wetlands and Wetland Centers for Ecotourism”, 15 countries from Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Korea, Mongolia, Philippines, Jordan, Myanmar, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, China, Taiwan, United Kingdom participated in the conference. About 100 International Wetland Parks representatives from more than 70 wetland parks across countries participated.
The highlight of this is that these foreign delegates were given the opportunity to observe and study the wetlands around the city of Colombo, the world’s first urban wetland metropolis, for 03 days.
Here, Executive Director of East Asia Regional Center of Remsar Union, Suh Seung Oh presented a memento to President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Addressing the conference, President Ranil Wickremesinghe further said:
“I consider it a privilege to hold the first conference of the International Wetlands Union in Sri Lanka. Swamps, elephants and other animals are disappearing on earth today.
Today, mangroves are decreasing across the country due to development and population growth. Hence immediate attention should be paid to protect these. For that everyone has to work together with a common goal.
Going back about 500 years, the place where we are today and the surrounding area was surrounded by swamps. But gradually we saw how it was filling up. We need to protect these wetlands. The current government is prioritizing it. This treasure park is one of them.
Currently we are planning to develop more than 1000 acres of swamp land in Southern Province as a tourist destination. In the future, steps have been taken to protect another part of the wetlands in the Akural area. I am confident that the wetland infrastructure of this country will be protected under these schemes. Through this, eco-tourism business will be created in the country.
We have set aside another 1000 acres to develop a tourism zone near Horton Place. Therefore, Sri Lanka is committed to promoting eco-tourism by focusing on wetland conservation. We promote tropical efforts to protect ecosystems and marine plants (mangroves). This becomes an important factor especially in the fight against climate change.
The Amazon ecosystem is disappearing today. We must protect them. Wetlands, forests, grasslands, all these should be protected. We need to see how much commercial value it might have as part of an ecosystem, not for trade.
But there is a problem in providing funds for this. That money now mostly goes to Ukraine or the Gaza Strip. But it doesn’t end there. So we have to take care of ourselves.
Then, focus on business projects related to the environment. We also look at the role that the Indian Ocean can play as a carbon sink. We need to figure out how to commercialize these areas for environmental protection rather than for normal development. We need to focus on green finance and securing the necessary funding for a green economy.
Today, the tropical region is under serious environmental threat. It is useless to expect funds from foreign countries to take action against it. Therefore, the focus should be on commercially viable projects to protect the environment and the tropics.
The Government of Sri Lanka is currently drafting legislation to establish an International Climate Change University. This is the first time such a university is being established in Asia. It will also be linked to other climate change centers around the world.
The university will act as a hub for climate change education and research networking, and will provide opportunities for short-term training or postgraduate studies for anyone. Noting that we look forward to implementing these measures in the coming years, I would like to express my gratitude and congratulations to all who organized this conference today,” the President said.
Suh Seung Oh, Executive Director of Remsar Union’s East Asia Regional Center,
“I would like to express my respectful thanks to Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Government of Sri Lanka for presiding over this meeting. During the last four days, we exchanged views and held discussions on many issues related to wetlands.
The conference not only helped foster cooperation between mangrove centers but also strengthened ties between the continents of Asia and Oceania.
Through the collaboration created through this first-ever Asia-Oceania conference, we delivered an important message about the importance of conserving wetlands through close people-to-people relationships. We have created a valuable group that can be shared with people,” he said.
Urban Development and Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, External Affairs Minister President’s Counsel Ali Sabri, Ministers of State Thenuka Vidhanagamage, Janaka Vakumpura, Parliamentary Affairs Adviser to the President Ashu Marasinghe, Presidential Adviser on Environment, Climate Change and Green Finance Ananda Mallavathandri, Chief Executive Officer of Climate Change Office and President Senior Additional Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Urban Development and Housing Ministry Secretary W.S. Satyananda, Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Ministry Secretary Gunadasa Samarasinghe, Environment Ministry Secretary B.K.P. Chandrakeerthy, Secretaries of Ministries and Government Officials, International Wetland Parks Representatives including Chris Rostron, International Relations Manager of Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Environmentalists and Government officials attended the event.
