COMMUNITYPARTICIPATION IN NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN SRI LANKA - A REVIEW OFSOME PROJECTS D M S H K Ranasinghe Community participation isan approach that is receiving attention across the globe, and one thatmarks a departure from the ‘catching up’ , ‘top down’ orientation whichcharacterised the cultural dimension of the modernist perspective of developmentwhich was in vogue in the 1960’s. This paper reviews a numberof community participation projects which had been formulated to conservethe country’s natural resources and to empower people and rural communitiesto manage and protect them in a sustainable manner while reaping economicbenefits. The projects that are discussed are two coastal resourcesmanagement projects of the Coast Conservation Department located in Hikkaduwa(dealing with the conservation of corel reef) and Rekawa (dealing withlagoon and mangrove habitat conservation) and two community based managementprojects located in Ritigala (dealing with medicinal plants) andKahalle - Pallekelle (dealing with human-elephant conflict). The following aspects are highlighted in each of these projects/cases; * the degree/levelof community participation The paper synthesises thedegree of success and failures of each project in its approach to the community,planning, implementation and monitoring. Recommendations are givenfor future improvement of community based conservation in Sri Lanka. . | ||||||||
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