ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Chamber of Young Lankan Entrepreneurs said it is supporting green entrepreneurship linked to mangrove restoration as the island was selected as one of seven nations to be included in a UN flagship project.
The Green Entrepreneurship for Mangroves initiative aims to bring together local communities, businesses, and research institutions to coordinate mangrove restoration efforts.
COYLE said it will join the effort by establishing a new Entrepreneur Development Centre, which will provide support and resources to budding entrepreneurs dedicated to green business practices
“We aim to support those who are ready to develop entrepreneurial ventures via supporting the environment, especially conserving the mangroves,” Chairman of COYLE, Thushira Raddella said.
“Through this, we can show the world that economic growth and environmental conservation can both go hand in hand.
“At COYLE, we believe that not only should we grow our existing entrepreneurs, but also we must promote new avenues of entrepreneurship and innovations.”
COYLE along with iLEAD International Academy and Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) brought together key stakeholders at a recent forum.
These included business chambers, officials from the Ministry of Environment, UN representative and local and international civil society organization, academic and research Institutions, independent environmentalists and youth, COYLE said.
Ruwan Wijewardene, Senior Advisor to the President on Climate Change said there was a need to create an environment conducive to open and constructive dialogue among all stakeholders.
The program would show to the world that economic growth and environmental conservation can coexist harmoniously.
Ravi Pratap Singh, an advocate for green entrepreneurship and mangrove restoration in Sri Lanka said collaborative efforts between the businesses, research institutions and institutions working for youth mobilization at the community level was vital.
Restoring and protecting mangroves is crucial, as reflected in the UN Sustainable Development Goal SDG-14, which focuses on sustainably managing our oceans and coasts, COYLE said.
“The importance of restoring and protecting mangroves is reflected most clearly in SDG 14,” Radella said.
“But restoring mangrove forests also supports the achievement of many other SDGs, including those related to eliminating poverty and hunger, ensuring livelihoods and economic growth, taking actions against climate change impacts, and halting biodiversity loss.”
Ground-level work will start from September. (Colombo/Aug25/2024)