News

Coral reefs at risk of being wiped out in western Indian Ocean

Published

4 years ago

2021/12/27

Some of the world’s most picturesque coral reefs are at risk of being wiped out in the next 50 years, said a report by The Guardian.

The report said: A combination of overfishing and climate change threatens these ecosystems of the western Indian Ocean, putting species, economies and human lives on the line.

A swathe of the world’s coral reefs are at high risk of collapse as climate change and overfishing take their toll.

A team of international scientists found that all the reefs of the western Indian Ocean, an area covering Africa’s east coast as well as islands such as the Maldives, are at risk of ecosystem collapse and irreversible damage in the coming years.

As well as being an ecological catastrophe, a collapse of these reefs would also be a humanitarian disaster for the region, with many residents dependent on the reefs for their food and income.

Dr David Obura, the lead author of the study, says, ‘We’ve known for some time that coral reefs are in decline, but now we know more precisely to what degree, and why. This assessment reaffirms the urgency of the interlinked climate and biodiversity crises addressed by COP26 last month in Glasgow, and COP15 in a few months in Kunming.

‘We need to take decisive action to address both global threats to corals from climate change, and local ones, such as overfishing.’

The study, led by scientists at Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO) was published in Nature Sustainability.

The Indian Ocean is the world’s third largest ocean, spanning from the east coast of Africa to the western shores of Australia.

Due to its position along the equator, it is home to almost half of the world’s coral reefs, primarily around Indonesia, Australia and India.

However, the western half of the ocean still has a significant amount of biodiversity, with countries such as Madagascar, Mozambique and the Seychelles estimated to each have hundreds of species of coral.

These support a wealth of fish, with island nations like the Maldives having over a thousand species found in their waters. Fisheries are incredibly important to the region’s economy to such an extent that if these seas were a country, they would represent the fourth-largest economy in the western Indian Ocean.

The reefs also provide food security for the people that live in the region and provide added benefits as a draw for tourists.

However, the exploitation of the ocean has led the fragile ecosystems found there to the brink of collapse. Fishing from both countries within and outside the region is one of the leading causes, followed by oil extraction and climate change.

To assess the state of these corals, they were assessed using the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Ecosystems. While similar to the red list for animal species which assesses their vulnerability to extinction, it instead asks how close the ecosystem is to collapse.

The answer was that the region’s reefs are perilously close to the edge.

The scientists compiled their report by splitting the reefs across the western Pacific into 11 sub-regions, running north up the east coast of Africa from Kenya to South Africa and east to the island states of the Seychelles and Mauritius.

Each area was assessed individually for its status, allowing the researchers to know the state of around 5% of the world’s reefs.

They found that all sub-regions were at risk of collapse, with reefs around island nations with unique biodiversity, such as the Comoros and the Mascarene Islands, assessed as Critically Endangered.

The same assessment was given for east and south Madagascar, though its north and west coasts were found to be less threatened and judged instead to be Endangered.

The greatest threat to these island reef systems was climate change, which is causing ocean temperatures to rise in the shallow waters in which tropical corals thrive. Rising temperatures put the corals more at risk of bleaching and being unable to recover.

The situation was better on the continental African coast, where the entire stretch was assessed to be Vulnerable. Here, overfishing was found to pose the greatest threat to the reefs.

‘We detected overfishing of top predators on all the reefs from which we had data,’ said co-author Mishal Gudka. ‘These results highlight the need to improve local fisheries management to ensure the health of reef systems and secure sustainable fish stocks, which support jobs for a quarter of a million people in the region.’

The scientists hope that similar assessments will be carried out for the rest of the world’s reefs using the same framework they have, providing a stocktake of the world’s coral. By knowing the state of these ecosystems, the scientists hope that politicians will take the necessary steps to pull coral reefs back from the brink.

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“We hope that first day of school becomes a cherished memory in the lives of our beloved children” – PM

Published

10 hours ago

2026/01/29

Priyan

Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Dr Harini Amarasuriya said that she hoped that the first day of school becomes a beautiful and lasting memory in the lives of our beloved children as they take the important step from their homes and parents into the care and guidance of their teachers and wished them every sucess in the journey ahead.

The PM’s message:

“Dear children and parents,

We hope that the first day of school becomes a cherished memory in the lives of our children. With this in mind, we are making every effort to improve school environments and strengthen the teaching–learning process, so that children can experience their school years in a safe, joyful, and meaningful manner.

We are committed to reducing the burden of heavy schoolbags, while ensuring that children continue to develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed for their future and for their eventual entry into the workforce.

Dear Parents, our goal is to provide every child with a rich education in a prosperous and just society. We firmly believe that a child’s educational opportunities should not be determined by the economic circumstances of their family, and that no child should be excluded from education. Accordingly, the Government has taken responsibility for putting in place the necessary measures to guarantee equal access to education for every child. We value the constructive ideas and suggestions of all stakeholders as we work towards this shared objective.

We are committed to engaging with these ideas openly and constructively, and to making the learning experiences of children who grow through play, movement, and curiosity more practical, meaningful, and engaging, while ensuring that classrooms remain spaces of happiness and encouragement.

My dear children, as you step beyond the comfort of your mother’s embrace and place your trust in your teachers and parents, I wish you success, confidence, and fulfilment in all that lies ahead.

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The National Strategic Action Plan to monitor and combat human trafficking (2026-2030) officially launched

Published

18 hours ago

2026/01/29

Priyan

The Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in the official launch of the National Strategic Action Plan to monitor and combat human trafficking (2026-2030) held on 28th of January at the Cinnamon Life Hotel, Colombo. The event was jointly organized by the Ministry of Defence, National Anti Human Trafficking Task Force ( NAHTTF), International Organization for Migration (IOM).

This five-year Action Plan was unveiled under the leadership of the Ministry of Defence, in its capacity as Chair of the NAHTTF and with the technical support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The National Strategic Action Plan 2026-2030 establishes a unified national framework to prevent human trafficking, protect and assist victims, strengthen law enforcement responses, and enhance accountability.

Addressing the event, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to strengthening national efforts to prevent and address human trafficking and stated that the Action Plan must transcend its symbolic launch into concrete, coordinated, and sustained implementation.

The Prime Minister also noted that the launch of the National Strategic Action Plan is timely, as it operationalizes the four internationally recognized pillars of the anti-trafficking framework namely prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership.

The Prime Minister further stated,

“Caring for trafficking survivors in Sri Lanka requires a holistic, gender-sensitive, and survivor-centered approach that addresses both immediate protection and long-term recovery. This includes safe shelter, medical care, and trauma-informed psychological support, with particular attention to women and girls who experience more severe and gendered forms of violence, alongside legal assistance, economic empowerment, and skills development to prevent re-trafficking.

Human trafficking is a structural and social challenge that requires sustained, multi-sectoral action. Ministries and government agencies must embed anti-trafficking priorities into their core strategies and day-to-day operations, ensuring institutional integration and professional accountability”.

The event was attended by Parinda Ranasinghe Jnr, PC, Attorney General of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Chair of the NAHTTF, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha; and Kristin Parco, IOM Chief of Mission in Sri Lanka and Maldives. Members of the NAHTTF representing 23 key government entities, along with representatives of the diplomatic community, United Nations entities and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)

News

No changes to IMF agreement despite Cyclone Ditwah impact

Published

21 hours ago

2026/01/29

Sahan Weerasooriya

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has declared that the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) wouldn’t be amended in view of the impact of Cyclone Ditwah.

The IMF delegation, at the end of its visit to Sri Lanka, informed President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of its decision during a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (28). The IMF delegation included Director of the Asia and Pacific Department Krishna Srinivasan, Deputy Director for Asia and the Pacific Sanjaya Panth, Mission Chief Evan Papageorgiou, and Resident Representative Martha Woldemichael.

The 48-month arrangement, approved on 20 March, 2023, during Ranil Wickremesinghe’s tenure as the President, is for SDR 2.286 billion (approximately US$3 billion). In terms of the agreement, repayment of debt has to be resumed in 2028. Sri Lanka unilaterally suspended debt repayment in April 2022.

Close on the heels of Cyclone Ditwah, the main Opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), repeatedly pressed the government to request the IMF to amend the agreement.

The Presidential Media Division ( PMD) quoted the IMF delegation as having said that the strong fiscal discipline maintained by the government over the past year had been a key factor in addressing the challenges caused by Cyclone Ditwah. They said that the government’s ability to present a supplementary estimate of Rs. 500 billion was made possible by a surplus in the Treasury.

The Government of Sri Lanka was represented by Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Senior Economic Adviser to the President Duminda Hulangamuwa, along with several others.