FISHING VILLAGE IN THE EAST COAST OF SRILANKA: CONFLICT AND CORAL DESTRUCTION

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• FISHING VILLAGE IN THE EAST COAST OF SRILANKA
  CONFLICT AND CORAL DESTRUCTION
• Meena Dharmaretnam and R.KirupairajahEastern
  University, SriLanka

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Sri Lanka is an island with a land area of 65600
km2 and a coastal line of about 1585 km.Corals
have traditionally supported the food security
and livelihood of the coastal fisheries
population.
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• The village of Passikudah, Batticaloa
• Employment
• Fishing
• Part time paddy labour
• Tourist industry
• Coral mining for lime production
• Caste based small industry - not in Passikudah

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Ethnic conflict

• Escalated after 1990.
• Fisheries restricted in time and space.
• Movement of paddy labour restricted.
• No tourism
• Alternate livelihood? Natural resources of the
  village fossil and live corals.

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Map of Batticaloa
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Fossil coral mining
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Live coral mining
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Number of kilns over the years at Passikudah

• 1960-1980 061994 351998
  69 2002 108

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Income rangeper month

• Coral miners, suppliers of fuel material, workers
  at the kilns lt USD50
• Transporters of corals, owners of small kilns
  USD 50-100
• Owners of large kilns USD 300-400
• Mudalaliys USD 1000

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Number of kilns at Passikudah

• Large kiln 78
• Small kiln 25
• Childrens kiln 05

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Recommendation

• A sociological understanding of natural resources
  destruction is essential for any management
  programme.
• Responses from the people alone on alternate
  livelihoods will be not of practical use.