{"id":22681,"date":"2026-09-28T15:24:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T09:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southasia\/?p=22681"},"modified":"2026-09-30T13:00:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T07:30:14","slug":"community-voices-rarely-included-in-sri-lankas-marine-and-coastal-governance-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/southasia\/press\/22681\/community-voices-rarely-included-in-sri-lankas-marine-and-coastal-governance-decisions\/","title":{"rendered":"Community Voices Rarely Included in Sri Lanka\u2019s Marine and Coastal Governance Decisions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New Greenpeace South Asia Issue Brief documents a recurring \u201cconsent gap\u201d in coastal governance and calls for Free, Prior and Informed Consent.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Colombo, 28 September, 2026 <\/strong>\u2014 After holding extensive Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with coastal and indigenous communities throughout Sri Lanka, Greenpeace South Asia identified a recurring gap in consent, where policy decisions are often made by authorities without sharing information with directly affected community members.   <\/p>\n\n

\u201cFrom Consultation to Consent: Community Voices in Sri Lanka\u2019s Marine and Coastal Governance\u201d<\/em> document experiences from communities in Negombo, Rekawa, Vakarai, Kalpitiya and Vidathaltivu, alongside a survey of 186 fishing community respondents across North Mannar. <\/em>The Brief was unveiled at the Sri Lanka Press Institute Auditorium, in the presence of representatives from authorities, stakeholders and allies, and members of the media. <\/p>\n\n

The Brief identifies that coastal and indigenous communities frequently have little agency over matters that directly affect their life and livelihood. \u201cInformation is frequently shared with community members after decisions have been effectively made, technical planning does not consistently incorporate local ecological knowledge; language and administrative barriers restrict participation; and communities have limited ability to challenge decisions that affect their lands, waters, and livelihoods,\u201d the Brief\u2019s executive summary underscores. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cFor too long, coastal communities have been asked to participate after decisions have already been shaped. Consultation cannot simply mean informing people about a project. Communities who live with and depend on these ecosystems must have a meaningful role in deciding what happens to their lands, waters and livelihoods. Sri Lanka has an opportunity to move from consultation to consent, and from top-down conservation to genuine partnership with the communities who have protected these ecosystems for generations. Free, Prior and Informed Consent should be a foundation of environmental and biodiversity governance, not an afterthought.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWhat is needed is a rights-based approach, with consent rather than consultation being the focus, and having policy decisions made with communities,\u201d Human Rights Defender and Campaigner Melani Gunathilaka emphasised. <\/p>\n\n

The call comes as Sri Lanka implements its biodiversity commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including Target 22 on the participation and rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities, and ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19-30 October 2026.<\/p>\n\n

The Issue Brief recommends: <\/p>\n\n