The Commercial Bank of Ceylon recently provided financial assistance to plant 1,000 mangrove trees along the Mannar coastal belt and to clean-up the beach area. Following the support provided by the Bank to the Department of Public Administration of the Faculty of Management Studies & Commerce of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, this CSR project titled ‘Green & Clean Mannar’ was carried-out with the help of the Sri Lanka Navy, which will continue to maintain the area. 

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), mangrove forests, like coral reefs, are extremely productive ecosystems that provide numerous benefits to the marine environment and people. Mangrove forests are home to a large variety of fish, crab, shrimp, and mollusk species, and the dense root systems of mangrove forests trap sediments flowing down rivers and off the land, helping stabilise coastlines and preventing erosion from waves and storms. Additionally, coastal communities collect medicinal plants from mangrove ecosystems and use mangrove leaves as animal fodder, while mangrove wood, which is resistant to rot and insects, is extremely valuable. 

Pictured here are representatives of the Sri Lanka Navy, the Commercial Bank of Ceylon and the University who participated in the clean-up of the Mannar beach.