UNDP supports the Biodiversity Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment to implement a number of projects funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), of which one such project is the Invasive Alien Species (IAS) project for which assistance is sort.
Invasive Alien Species Project: Sri Lanka’s geographic location, varied climatic conditions and topography have given rise to its unique biological diversity. The country’s globally significant biodiversity is being threatened by increasing introduction, establishment and spread of invasive alien fauna and flora. As Sri Lankan markets become increasingly integrated into the global economy and in the face of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, it is likely that the threats posed by invasion will worsen in the future as would their impacts on the natural environment, human production systems and pro-poor economic growth.
Weak and overlapping legislative and institutional mandates, the lack of a coherent or integrated strategic planning and management framework combined with limited information base and awareness of the threat posed by invasive alien species (IAS) are contributing to the loss of biodiversity as well as undermining associated economic processes and human well-being. The project will support the development of an enabling policy and legal environment for effective IAS control. It will assist in finalizing the National IAS Policy, develop the National IAS Control Act for approval by the Cabinet of Ministers and finalize the National IAS Strategy and Action Plan through stakeholder participation and technical assistance. The project will also enhance integrated management planning and action, with corresponding budgetary and technical support for the prevention, detection, and management of IAS. It will build capacities of the National Focal Point for IAS and other stakeholders, especially those involved in enforcement and of local communities, to encourage their support for IAS control activities. Information related to IAS will be assembled and managed through a national database that will be made widely accessible through the internet. For this, the project will support the finalization of the National IAS Communication Strategy to create awareness and further strengthen the understanding of IAS control and establish site-specific, cost-effective IAS control mechanisms through public-private partnerships.
The project will be executed by the Biodiversity Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka in close cooperation with national level line agencies and research institutes, provincial governments and directorates, national and local NGOs and community representatives.
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