The Department of Wildlife Conservation is the government organization responsible for the protection of fauna and flora and the establishment and management of marine protected areas in Sri Lanka. The department implements the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance. In order to fulfill the requirements of protecting marine species and managing the marine protected areas, the department established a unit - Marine Management Unit under the Natural Resources Management Division with the support of the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2015.

Objective
The International Union for Conservation of Nature initiated the strengthening of the marine management units capacity by providing training in snorkeling and field identification of marine species. The proposed voluntary commitment is to further strengthen the capacity of the marine management unit in conducting habitat assessments, monitoring the status of threatened and vulnerable species and managing marine protected areas.

Implementation methodologies
1. Conduct field training in identification of marine organisms such as hard and soft corals, other marine invertebrates inhabiting coral reefs and seagrass meadows.
2. Develop skills in assessing the status of coral reefs and seagrass meadows.
3. Training in assess the status of threatened and vulnerable species.
4. Provide training in management of marine protected areas from planning to implementation.

Follow-up mechanisms

1. Continued support in the field on species and habitats
2. Continuous monitoring of the progress of the marine management unit
3. Provide additional support and training to new recruits to the marine management unit

Governance mechanisms
1. Coordination by the Department of Wildlife Conservation