About the Project
A unique feature of Sri Lanka is the high concentration of underwater wrecks around the island’s coastline, with 114 recorded by the National Shipwreck Database of Sri Lanka so far. However, our knowledge on the role of shipwrecks as artificial reefs in Sri Lanka is limited and this puts them at risk of salvaging activities and destruction. The SwARS project aims to increase our understanding on the value of shipwrecks and therefore contribute to the protection of these marine habitats and cultural heritage sites.
Our work with shipwrecks started in 2022 with a study on the role of shipwrecks as artificial reefs for fish assemblages in Sri Lanka. This was part of the first effort to quantify the biological value of shipwrecks in Colombo. The study aimed to compare fish communities on wreck and natural reef sites and evaluate if and how species utilized the wrecks as habitats. We found communities of indigenous species on the shipwrecks, including larger aggregations of fish that constitute a resource for local artisanal fisheries.
The UN Ocean Decade (2021 – 2030) is an ongoing push to support the ocean sciences and generate knowledge on the protection of our ocean systems. We are proud to present the SwARS project as an endorsed action of the UN Ocean Decade by the Cultural Heritage Framework Programme. As part of these efforts, our project will be contributing to the objectives of identifying critical Ocean Knowledge and increasing the use of Ocean Knowledge.
