Our Coasts, Our Choice - From Consultation to Consent
When working with communities, we need to move beyond asking for only opinions. We need to give Sri Lanka's coastal communities the legal right to say "yes" or "no" to decisions affecting their homes.
Why "Just Asking" Isn't Enough
Right now, Sri Lanka is rewriting several major environmental commitments and regulations, including its national biodiversity strategic Action Plan (NBSAP). But there’s a major gap in these updates: the people who live along our shores and protect them every day are being left out of the conversation. A prime example is the recent National Environment Act, which was pushed through without giving local communities a real chance to speak up.
For generations, coastal families and local groups have cared for Sri Lanka’s beaches, mangroves, ocean waters and their biodiversity. They aren't just residents - they are the true experts and caretakers of these ecosystems. Yet under current Sri Lankan law, there is no formal requirement to get their permission before launching new conservation programs or development projects.
In practice, communities might get "consulted" on paper, but they have no actual legal power to demand changes or withhold consent.
That’s where our From Consultation to Consent campaign comes in. We’re working to turn token consultations into legally binding Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) to ensure local voices and traditional knowledge sit at the heart of environmental law.
Our Two-Pillared Strategy
We are taking a grounded, complementary approach to drive systemic policy reform from the coastlines to parliament.
1. Direct Policy & Advocacy Engagement
- Government Advocacy: Engaging directly with policymakers throughout the national biodiversity review process to push for the legal recognition of FPIC.
- Institutional Representation: Participating in official consultation meetings to ensure community perspectives shape final policy frameworks.
2. Grounded Evidence Generation
- Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): Gathering real experiences from fishing communities living in and around protected and biodiversity-rich coastal areas and their voices.
- Geographic Scope:
- Completed: Iranaitivu, Negombo, Rakawa, and Vakarai.
- In Progress / Upcoming: Vidataltivu (Mannar), Kalpitiya, and Jaffna.
- Timeline: Field consultations conclude by mid-August, with a comprehensive report finalized by late September.
Major Milestones & Key Progress
We are already turning local voices into national and international advocacy actions
Trilingual Community Glossary (English, Sinhala, Tamil)
Developed alongside local communities during field sessions, this guide bridges the gap between official policy jargon and local ecological knowledge.
Civil Society Direct Action
Participated in the Ministry of Environment’s National Environmental Act validation meeting, presenting recommendations endorsed by 6 Sri Lankan civil society organizations directly to the Minister and the Central Environmental Authority (CEA).
Global Ocean Justice Report Launch
Released our global report alongside an official submission urging the Sri Lankan government to integrate FPIC mechanisms into all marine and coastal management policies.
Key Campaign Resources (links)
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Explore how community-led governance drives equitable ocean protection globally.
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Read the 6-organization submission handed over to the Ministry of Environment.