The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has increased its commitments to the ‘Koggala Mangrove Restoration and Conservation Project,’ making it possible to extend mangrove coverage by a further 600 metres with replanting on an island in the Koggala Lake.

The Bank supported the first two phases of this project implemented by Wildlife and Ocean Resource Conservation (WORC) of Sri Lanka, under which 550 metres of the Kathduwa island’s banks devasted by erosion were restored with mangroves. 

In the third phase of this project, the Bank said it will fund the planting of 4,500 mangrove saplings, 500 mangrove associates, and 250 terrestrial trees in an extended area around Kathduwaisland.

Commercial Bank Chairman Justice K. Sripavan, Managing Director and Group CEO Mr S. Renganathan and trustees of the CSR Trust of the Bank recently visited the area to inspect the progress of the project and observed that it has been successfully implemented.

At the recommendation of the Central Environmental Authority, the latest phase of the project will also see the participation of students from select schools in the Southern province who will take part in environmental conservation and knowledge building activities by being involved.Students from overseas universities too will volunteer on the project on a weekly basis.

Pictured here are (above) the members of the Commercial Bank team that visited the project and (below) some of the volunteers at work replanting mangroves around the Kathduwaisland in the Koggala lake and at the mangrove nursery created for the purpose.