Managing Arid Areas and Sand Dunes in Sri Lanka - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 334

7.2 Institutional and Governance Issues

Duplication of mandates and the fragmented nature of the responsibilities of
different institutions were also identified as capacity constraints. These constraints
could be eliminated by critically reviewing the mandates and responsibilities of the
relevant institutions.
At the systemic level, the lack of co-operation between the central government
and the provincial governments is one of the capacity constraints that prevent
the successful implementation of the CCD in Sri Lanka. Formulation of a viable
strategy or a program to strengthen the links between the central government and
the provincial governments will be needed for better co-operation. At the same
time there is a need to establish a nationally responsible authority to coordinate
the institutions, implement the strategies, policies and programs to combat land
degradation. There is no sound policy that addresses land degradation issues in
the country. There is an urgent need therefore to formulate such a policy through
relevant stakeholder participation (including NGOs and CBOs) and legally adopt it.
The policy should be developed within the framework of a sustainable devel-
opment plan of the country. Preparation of the NAP by the MOE reflects the
importance of soil conservation in combating land degradation in the country.
There has to be a scientific input in to the decision-making process that needs to
be strengthened. Generally speaking developing countries give low emphasis and
a low priority to land degradation issues and Sri Lanka is no exception. Some
strategies or programs should be developed in order to create awareness amongst
stakeholders and educate them on the importance of combating land degradation.
There is limited political interest and political will to combat land degradation in Sri
Lanka. Changes in the political situation and changing political manifestos are also
identified as constraints that prevent the implementation of UNCCD. The manifestos
of successive governments have not addressed the direct and underlying causes
of land degradation although some attention has been focused on the underlying
causes such as in organic farming. What are needed therefore are concrete policies
and strategies to combat land degradation in Sri Lanka. Hitherto, most of the
development programs and projects of the government and private sectors have been
designed and implemented at the expense of environment. Enacting new laws to
safeguard the environment could help address this problem.
Programs to strengthen the links between the central government and the provin-
cial governments will be needed for better co-operation. At the same time there
is a need to establish a nationally responsible authority to coordinate among the
institutions, implementing strategies, policies and programs to combat land degra-
dation. Policies/legislation/strategies and programs on behalf of the government
are generally formulated at institutional level by relevant ministries, government
departments and statutory bodies. They are implemented after the approval by the
Cabinet of Ministers of the government. However, during the formulation process
all relevant stakeholders are not consulted and views of some stakeholders are