Dr. Manoj Thibbotuwawa highlights eco-tourism as a potential Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) strategy to address Sri Lanka’s prevailing financial limitations

22 – 24 October 2024

IPS Research Fellow, Dr. Manoj Thibbotuwawa emphasised Sri Lanka’s goal to raise its forest cover from 29% to 32% by 2030 through measures like carrying out reforestation initiatives on designated lands and creating forest management plans for natural forests. He made these remarks while speaking at the session on global environmental commons in the Regional Dissemination Workshop for Asia and the Pacific of the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR). Considering the government’s financial limitations, he also highlighted how eco-tourism, in which tourists pay to experience forest zones rich in biodiversity, can be used as a Payment for Ecosystems Services (PES). He further added that the revenues generated by ecotourism can be used for conservation initiatives and community development.

Dr Manoj Thibbotuwawa participated in the Regional Dissemination Workshop for Asia and the Pacific of the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) 2023 at the Sheraton Hotel in New Delhi, India on October 22nd to 24th, 2024. The workshop was organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) jointly with the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

The goals of the workshop were to raise awareness of the GSDR in Asia and the Pacific, improve comprehension of the framework, opportunities, and applicability of the GSDR, and ascertain how to apply the GSDR framework to national policymaking.