Impacts on Natural Resources in the Southern Coastal Area of Sri Lanka after 1980s

Abstract

Coastal areas are abundant in natural resources that are important economically, socially and environmentally. The area consists a very high biodiversity such as fish, mangroves, seagrass, water and coral reefs. However, rapid population growth and its associated development over recent decades have led to severe loss and degradation of these important habitats in the coastal area. The main objective of the study is to examine the impacts on natural resources in the Southern coastal area. Specie objectives are to examine the quantity and scale of the impacts on above natural resources. Research was done in 2015 and a structured questionnaire used for primary data collection, using random sampling and also field observation method was used. 2154 respondents were interviewed. Findings disclose that large amount of fish resources has been caught from the coastal sea by the fishermen for a long period.