Sri Lanka, May 19 -- A high-level discussion was held yesterday (18) at the Environment Ministry to take a decisive step to safeguard Sri Lanka's maritime heritage,

The meeting focused on the urgent need to prevent environmental pollution and protect the coastal waters around the northern seas and their adjacent islands. It was chaired jointly by Environment Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody and Defence Deputy Minister Aruna Jayasekara.

The discussion laid strong emphasis on identifying environmental threats and accelerating the declaration of new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the northern region. Officials emphasised that protecting this marine zone is crucial to conserve biodiversity, secure the livelihoods of local fishing communitie...