A Study on visual evidence and community insights into reef degradation: a case study on Moragalla coastal zone, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The world is losing its coral reefs and this is posing a threat to its capacity to sustain biodiversity, raise the protection of coastal regions as well as sustaining the community that relies on coral reefs. Coral reef systems are in the process of continuous decline in the Beruwala- Moragalla coastal area in Sri Lanka which has been worsened by human activities like pollution and coral mining. This loss does not only pose a threat to the ecological resilience, but also to livelihoods of the local citizens. The current paper will give a detailed account of the present-day state of the environment of the Reef under study, records the observable evidence of degradation, and unites the community attitudes, experiences, and knowledge of such an environmental transformation. The methodology of this qualitative case study involved a lot of photographic documentation, participatory mapping and semi-structured interviews with the different stakeholders. The data were analysed using content and thematic analysis with the support of to record spatial vulnerability and local ecological knowledge. The Moragalla Reef is in a very poor condition and is characterized by a mass coral death, algal bloom and a lot of sedimentation. These observations are supported by community accounts which demonstrate the extreme destabilization of livelihoods through disruption of fish stocks and threats of insecurity due to the disappearance of natural coastal defences. The results noted herein demonstrate the necessity to come up with participatory and integrated coastal management approaches, which encompasses pollution reduction, habitat restoration and community-based management to guarantee the long-term ecological and social sustainability of this significant coastline.