Managing Arid Areas and Sand Dunes in Sri Lanka - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 332

7 Constraints to Arresting and Reversing Land Degradation

in Sri Lanka

There are serious land degradation problems in Sri Lanka. An expert group should
be appointed by the Minister of Forestry and Environment to examine these
problems and recommend short-term solutions. Detailed information on soils is
limited. The available information is also scattered amongst several agencies. There
is a need to collate all the available data on soils and identify data gaps that have
to be filled so that a good soil database could be prepared for the country. The
Ministry of Forestry and Environment should provide the necessary assistance to
achieve this objective. The Ministry of Forestry and Environment should take steps
to appoint an expert group to examine strategies currently adopted to mitigate the
effects of drought in Sri Lanka and to formulate national policies in consultation
with representatives of the victims to mitigate the effects of droughts. Reduced land
productivity due to land degradation has substantial economic costs. The Ministry of
Forestry and Environment through its economics affairs unit should initiate action to
examine and quantify these costs. The Minister of Forestry and Environment should
prepare and disseminate suitable programs to make school children aware of the
socio-economic and environmental implications of land degradation. The Ministry
of Forestry and Environment should take necessary steps to make community
leaders, including politicians, aware of the importance of preserving and sustaining
the productive capacity of both utilized and unutilized lands (Figs. 16.13 and 16.14 ).

Fig. 16.13 Stone walls were built by the local community to combat erosion