The need for and steps towards a master plan for sustainable utilisation of the Batticaloa Lagoon

This paper reviews the status of the Batticaloa lagoon with reference to its management problems and the need for and steps towards a master plan. It examines the institutional environment and highlights its inadequacies from a perspective of sustainable utilisation of the lagoon as a renewable resource system. The paper argues for a master plan and identifies its objectives and outlines an institutional approach. The major information gaps are also identified and several basic studies proposed towards bridging the gaps. A Batticaloa Lagoon Master Plan Unit with a comprehensive mandate to carry out the tasks of planning, co-ordinating implementation, and monitoring is proposed.