Loss of Access Rights Leads to Collapse of Traditional Fisheries Governance and Rise of Conflicts: A Case from Malala and Ebillakela Lagoons in Sri Lanka

Abstract

"A traditional fisheries governance system was in place in Malala-Ebillakela lagoons, which involved all relevant parties including fishers, non fishers and government organizations to manage the lagoon ecosystem. The special features of this system were the involvement of all parties, from different layers of decision-making, in the different forums across levels and the pressure which came from both fisher and non-fisher communities who were totally dependent on the resources of the lagoons. However, with the declaration of the lagoons as a Bird Sanctuary and National Park, subsequently, under the Wild life Act of Sri Lanka in 1990s, this common property was turned into a state property. Consequently, it came under the direct supervision of the Wild Life Department. As a result, the Wild Life Department started to control the access rights of the traditional fishers and non fishers, leading to conflicts between fishers, fishers and non-fishers, fishers and the Wild Life Department and so on. In the meantime, the ecosystem started to deteriorate in the face of uncoordinated infrastructure development interventions. This paper attempts to discuss the consequences of these developments and the collapse of the traditional fisheries governance system, and the impacts of introducing State-led management under the Wild Life Act."