Sri Lanka Banks on the Ocean to Chart a Green Path Toward a Blue Economy

Authorities in Sri Lanka have called for a renewed focus on conserving the island’s rich coastal ecosystems, identifying the “blue economy” as key to the nation’s sustainable development.

The Indian Ocean island has a coastline of 1,340 kilometers (833 miles), territorial waters spanning 21,500 square kilometers (8,300 square miles), and an exclusive economic zone of 517,000 km2 (200,000 mi2), almost eight times its land area. Its coastal zone is home to most of the urban population and infrastructure as well as to bountiful ecosystems that include mangrove forests, tidal marshes, seagrass beds, and coral reefs.

To read full story visit: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/06/sri-lanka-banks-on-the-ocean-to-chart-a-green-path-toward-a-blue-economy/