Strategic Conservation: A Review of Protected Area Management

Abstract

When considering the legal provisions, Sri Lanka processes a sound legal framework for conservation of ecologically sensitive, biodiversity rich areas, whether it falls in a state land or otherwise. However, being one of the most densely populated countries, ever growing human populations and their needs create a "formal" socio-political pressure for opening up pristine habitats for development. In the "informal" frontier this creates issues such as encroachment, garbage disposal, illegal and unsustainable resource extraction etc. Sanctuaries, being a mix of private and state lands, with unclear boundaries, are much more vulnerable for development pressure compared to other National Reserves despite their richness in biodiversity and importance in ecological services. Management plans are considered to be the documents providing directions for Protected Area managers. In Sri Lanka, Management Plan Preparation was mandated by the FFPO. Hence Management Plans have the status of a legal document. However Management Plans are not available for all the PAs in Sri Lanka. In fact, existing ones are considered to be out dated. However in general the conventional management planning approaches fail to provide sound management strategies in dynamic environments. All the sanctuaries in Sri Lanka do not have approved management plans. Proposed Strategic Conservation approach provides a conceptual framework for analysis of the conservation propensity and development propensity of biodiversity rich, sensitive and threatened areas. Using the proposed approach, possible strategies could be grouped in to four clusters and implemented in the light of eight capability roles that an agency can perform. It could be used as a complementary or supplementary approach to the conventional management planning in order to address specific problems faced by PAs such as Sanctuaries.