This photo story was created for the International Water Management Institute on International Women's Day 2016. See the online story at World Wetlands Day 2016: Sustainable Livelihoods.
Every morning, Premadasa Jayawardane, a retired security officer, plucks flowers in the Anawilundawa wetlands of Sri Lanka. He walks around the wetlands in search of fresh lotus buds. The individuals and communities around Anawilundawa have a close connection with the wetlands, and the wetlands are a significant aspect of their daily lives.
Premadasa lifts a flower from the waters. “I don’t sell the flowers,” he explains. “I give them to a few friendly shopkeepers in the town side. They offer the flowers to Buddha statues they keep in their shops. In return, they gift me calendars for the New Year and sometimes other rations.”
Spanning 1,400 hectares, Anawilundawa is one of the 6 RAMSAR wetlands in Sri Lanka. Comprised of an ancient system of human-made cascading tanks and reservoirs and fed by flood waters of the Deduru Oya, Anawilundawa sustains rice paddy fields, wildlife, and natural vegetation. The tanks store water for irrigation, and also play a major role in flood control, aquifer recharge, retention of pollutants and sediments, and nutrient export.
A fisherman rows into the distance. As in many wetlands, fishing is a source of living for inhabitants. Anawilundawa is home to a diversity of plants and animals, including 29 species of freshwater fish and 18 species of brackish water fish. Local people engage in subsistence fishery in Anawilundawa’s tanks. However, unchecked fisheries can also have a negative impact to the ecosystem.
Wetlands are among the world’s most productive environments, providing a range of under-appreciated benefits for people's livelihoods and well-being. Malika Wijethunga, 65, stops by the lake to wash her feet after finishing her morning chores around the household. Her house stands just opposite facing Anawilundawa Lake. Malika explains that a lot of people come to this spot on the lake to have a bath or wash clothes.
Dammi’s friend Nimasha keeps her company while she washes clothes. Research by IWMI and others recognize that women and men use different wetland services for different purposes. Because of their many domestic responsibilities, women in many developing countries may depend more on wetlands on a daily basis, whilst sometimes also engaging in wetland-supported livelihoods. Research has also found that women are generally more supportive of measures for sustainable wetland use, possibly because of their daily dependence on numerous wetland services.
January being the last month of a four-month shrimp harvesting season, shrimp harvester Danushka and his team put in all the effort to catch the last batch of shrimp from one of the tanks. They will start again in March. Although shrimp farming is a main source of income to people living around the sanctuary, it is also a point of contention.
Danushka shows freshly caught shrimp from the shrimp farming tank close to the lake. Local communities have practiced sustainable traditional farming and fishing since ancient times, but extension of shrimp farms in surrounding areas has resulted in mangrove destruction and pollution and eutrophication caused by wastewater releases. Exploitation of growing resources and services hurt the very ecosystem that provides them.
The wetlands of Anawilundawa remain an important resource in the livelihoods and food security of its local communities. The preservation of wetlands is essential for biodiversity and sustaining livelihoods, and marks the significance and relevance of wetlands in achieving the new Sustainable Development Goals. In the Anawilundawa wetlands, it is up to researchers, policy makers, government officials, and the local community to ensure the preservation of the wetlands for future generations.