Scientific marine tourism: how ready are we?

Randima Atygalle

THE ISLAND – The masks piled up on the beach and empty plastic bottles entangled in a coral reef do not fit into the idyllic image a tourist will have of our island. We take our 1,620 kilometer coastline for granted, teeming with golden dunes, coconut groves and many other livelihoods for millions of people. Lankan’s highly diverse and resource-rich coastline is now showing clear signs of degradation and destruction.

Our coastal belt, with its enormous tourist capacity, is widely threatened by coastal pollution, unethical fishing practices and climate change, said Terney Pradeep Kumara, former head of the Department of Oceanography at the University of Ruhuna and former Director General of the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA). .

“The need for sustainable management of the coastal belt is urgent. While more than 11 million people live in the coastal districts, nearly 62% of local industries are also located in this area. If we are to attract high-end tourists whose income matters to the country, we must act now in the management of our coastal resources. “

Sri Lanka’s potential for “ecological and scientific tourism”, while enormous, has still not been properly understood or harnessed, Professor Terney said. He explained that sustainable environmental practices are fundamental to promote this modern tourism product. “Given our very diverse ecosystems and our orientation in the Indian Ocean, our marine heritage, both natural and archaeological, is very rich.

“Corals, for example, cannot help but determine past events such as volcanic eruptions, sea level rise and massive flooding. but they can also predict the same. If we look at the pollen, larvae, and cysts of different organisms, they can tell how ecologically connected we are through genetic material and animal migration.

Then we have several wrecks that are part of our marine heritage. They are historically important not only to us but to the whole world, showing evidence of trade relations and technological development and trade in maritime tariffs. To make all this sustainable, coastal management is essential.

The ocean expert alludes to best practices in South Africa, Australia and the Maldives where tourism goes beyond recreation and also makes it a learning experience and thus diversifies the tourism industry. “The scope of scientific ecotourism is vast and if we market our resources in this direction, beyond the region, we can also attract a significant segment from Russia, Europe and Canada. “

High-level multisectoral collaborations are proposed by Professor Terney to meet the challenges of sustainable coastal management strategies. Have technical staff with solid scientific knowledge and experience on the boards of SLTDA and SLTPB which are responsible for promoting tourism, equip hotels with professionals capable of empowering tourists, strengthen the workforce on the ground, collect research data scattered among various dive centers (some of which support illegal activities such as spear fishing among tourists), give more bite to existing protection laws of the environment and the coasts and to increase the legal knowledge of tourist guides and local communities are part of its proposals.

The production of plastic waste here is alarming, warned Professor Terney.
“A considerable amount of plastic waste is generated here and a good majority of it ends up in the sea, threatening marine life. The pandemic has made matters worse by adding disposable masks to the growing plastic threat. The principle of the “polluter pays” which is strictly applied in the developed regions of the world by multinationals is grossly neglected in our part of the world, accuses the researcher. “Compared to their commercial size, the amount these multinationals spend to restore the environment in developing and underdeveloped countries is paltry,” Professor Terney observed.

The lack of a collection system for all waste like in the case of Singapore, one of the best Asian models, makes Lankans selfish and also dull towards the environment, he said.