Chandrapalan Santhiny and her 3 year old son stand within the walls of her old home which was destroyed by the 2004 Tsunami. Urani Pothuvil, Sri Lanka. She has a new house right next to this one and on her land grows green chillies. This is a business that she has setup herself within the last year to support the income of her husband who is a fisherman. Chandrapalan is one of 15,000 women who are part of a nationwide community that encourages women to start their own businesses as well as looking after the environment. NGO Sudeesa grants the women micro-loans to cover the cost of business start up costs, the purchase of goods or equipment. In return the women watch over and protect a small section (usually around 1-2 acres) of the mangrove that grows in their local coastal region. Chandrapalan has also planted mangrove here to replenish the lost forest and states one of its greatest gifts is the protection it provides from tsunami.

The sun sets over the mangrove forest that surrounds Kokkilia Lagoon, Sri Lanka. This aerial image shows a healthy mangrove forest. They provide unique ecosystems not only that help support fish populations but also that are home to a plethora of wildlife. Depending on the species a variety of birds and insects as well as Caiman and Fruit Bats can be found. Countless communities live around Sri Lanka's lagoons because of the life and the support they provide.

Mary Jeyanthy & Christy Rasanayagam, Mannar Sri Lanka. The married couple operate a business renting and fixing fishing nets for local fishers. Christy used to be a fisherman but since his leg injury, caused by shrapnel from a landmine during the country's brutal civil war 10 years ago, he and his wife have provided for their family by working from their home. Mary states the natural protection from tsunami is one of her main concerns as well as the healthy fish breeding that sustains their business. Mary protects the forest by educating the community and by working with the police and navy to report any instances of destruction.

Nimali Swarnalatha stands next to mangrove saplings in Puttalam Lagoon, Sri Lanka. Nimali helped plant these mangroves as part of a hugely ambitious project, run by NGO Sudeesa, that is planting and replanting 10,000 acres of mangrove forests around the island nation with the help and protection of women like Nimali. 

The project helps women start and expand their own businesses by providing them with a micro-loan to cover setup/expansion costs. Since the civil war and tsunami many women have been widowed, or have husbands who can't carry out traditional work due to injury or disability. Nimali's husband is a fisherman but at the time we visited he had a broken leg so Nimali was the sole provider for them and their 3 children.  

A lone fisher makes their way out into the Kokkilai Lagoon, Sri Lanka. 

Mangrove forest 🌳 are crucial breeding grounds for fish, which coastal populations rely on for food and business. Without the work of his wife and many other women around the island who actively protect the mangrove forest as well as replant 🌱 it food in the coastal and Lagoon regions would become scarce. Sri Lanka has lost 80% of its mangrove forest in the last hundred years due to commercial shrimp farming, salt production and bombing in the civil war. Mangrove also sequester 3-5 times more carbon than other tropical forest and are vital for our planets 🌎 ability to reduce the damage caused by climate change and the burning of fossil fuels.

An aerial shot of the mangrove forests of Kalametiya, southern Sri Lanka.

S. Karunawathi Veransolai, Trincomalee. 

A worker stands outside his living quarters at one of many large scale shrimp farms in Chilaw, Sri Lanka. Over 80% of the island's forest has been lost in the last 100 years and commercial shrimp farming is one of the worst offenders for Mangrove deforestation. The island nation’s Mangrove Forest and lagoon systems are integral breeding grounds for fish and provide vital food and jobs to coastal populations. They also sequester 3-5 times more carbon than other tropical forest and act as natural storm and tsunami protection for islanders. However due to the unique soil properties where they grow they're vulnerable to destruction to make way for commercial shrimp farms. Around 100 acres had been cleared at this particular farm.

Lila Bati, 77, Kalametiya, Southern Sri Lanka 

Jeyarasa Mary Jakkulin stands amongst the Mangrove Forest in Vedathalthivu, Mannar, Sri Lanka. Part of a Mangrove conservation project, Jeyarasa actively protects the Mangrove Forest by her home as well as educating others in her community about the importance of these unique ecosystems. In return for watching over the forest she has been granted a micro-loan to start her own business by NGO Sudeesa. Sudeesa run a 5 day training course that teaches valuable business skills as well as how to protect the mangrove forest. Like many women in Sri Lanka Jeyarasa is a widow. Civil war and the 2004 tsunami has meant thousands of women nationwide have become their families sole provider. The programme empowers the women and encourages them to not only provide for their families but to flourish. The island nation’s mangrove forest and lagoon systems are breeding grounds for fish and provide vital food and jobs to coastal populations. They sequester up to 5 times more carbon than other tropical forest and provide natural protection from storms and tsunami.

This aerial image shows the expansion of a commercial shrimp farm, Baticaloa lagoon, Sri Lanka. Over 80% of the island's forest has been lost in the last 100 years and commercial shrimp farming is one of the worst offenders for mangrove deforestation. The locals here told us that a few days before we arrived bulldozers were here shaping the new shrimp ponds and removing large areas of mangrove forest on the island in the distance of this image in preparation for further expansion. Despite the governments pledge to protect all the country's mangroves little seemed to be being done to stop further deforestation of the mangrove to make way for commercial development here. The locals stated that the police find it difficult to enforce the law due to political corruption and the threat of violence. The night before this was image was taken we visited this site and shortly after leaving received a phone call telling us if we returned in the morning we'd be "forcefully removed". All this despite being in a clearly marked mangrove conservation vehicle which carries the government emblem on the body of the jeep. This however failed to occur and allowed me to produce this image.

Nijam Rashmiya, Mullaitivu District, Sri Lanka. Nijam runs a small business producing eggs and poultry to help support her husbands income that comes from fishing. She states that she found the training programme extremely helpful and taught her vital business practices including producing a business plan and how to handle finances. In addition she's grateful to be a part of the Mangrove conservation project and in the process has formed lasting friendships with the other women in the wider community.

Commander Peiris of the Sri Lankan navy poses in front of some recently planted mangrove saplings outside his navel base at Erukkalampiddy Beach, Northern Sri Lanka. 

A group of women taking part in a mangrove replanting project, Mannar, Sri Lanka. As part of a hugely ambitious project, run by NGO Sudeesa, these women are helping to plant and replant almost 10,000 acres of mangrove forest around the island nation. The project helps women start and expand their own businesses by providing them with a micro-loan to cover setup/expansion costs. Since the civil war and tsunami many women have been widowed, or have husbands who can't carry out traditional work due to injury or disability. In return for this assistance the women take part in a five day training course to not only teach business skills but also to teach how to protect the mangrove in their community and how to educate those around them to the importance of the forest and what it provides. This image is from day one of the training course where every woman will plant a number of mangrove saplings.

Jewarani stands in her cabbage patch in the Puttalam district of Sri Lanka. Jewarani is the mother of 3 daughters and the sole provider for her family. She mainly grows cabbage, onions and chillies depending on the season. Her business has been successful in the last couple of years and she has managed to pay back the original micro-loan provided by Sudeesa and has now applied for a second loan so she can expand her business. Many women who are part of the project are sole providers for their families, a great deal have been widowed by civil war and the 2004 Tsunami.

The Sri Lankan Navy taking part in NGO's Sudeesa's Mangrove replanting project at a navel base on Erukkalampiddy Beach, Northern Province. Toward the end of Sri Lanka's bloody civil war the area was subjected to extensive bombing campaigns by the Sri Lankan military and destroyed vast areas of Mangrove Forest. The LTTE (The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) used Mangrove Forest strategically in many areas to provide natural cover from military detection.

Local fishers tend to their nets shortly after dawn in Negombo, Sri Lanka. Well known for its abundant fishing waters Negombo's fish trade supports a vast number of the local population. Each morning see's the beach lined with boats and teeming with fishers returning from the catch. A short distance away from the frenetic scene of fishers unloading, a huge variety of fish are gutted and prepared to be dried using traditional methods. Once gutted and salted the fish are then laid out in the sun, upon long carpets of hessian fabric. Tuna, Seer fish and Sprats are popular and the process preserves the fish so it can be stored easily without the need for freezing or refrigeration. It takes a few days for the fish to dry and many have to be turned every few hours during the day. Seeing the amount of people the industry supports only highlights the importance of the fish breeding grounds that the lagoon systems and mangrove forests provide.

Premananthan Kalavathy standing guard of the Mangrove Forest near her home, Mannar, Sri Lanka. She has run a sewing business for seven years and two years ago joined the conservation project. The micro-loan she received allowed her to invest in a better equipment and materials. She states that she feels strongly about the protection of her local forest and the lifesaving protection it offers her and her four children from storms and tsunami's.

Ajantha, mother of 3, runs a local shop in Kuchchaveli, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. Mangrove conservation is extremely important to her and she takes her role as educator and protector very seriously.

Jeyarasa fixes fishing nets by the mangrove forest she protects, North East Sri Lanka. She is one of 15,000 women nationwide who are part of a project to protect the existing forest and help replant almost 10,000 acres of this crucial forest. With the help of NGO Sudessa in collaboration with Seacology, these women are granted micro-loans to assist them in setting up businesses; in return they take part in courses that teach the importance of the mangrove forest, how to protect it and how to educate their community about the many benefits of the forest. Fixing and dying nets is one of the three businesses Jeyarasa has setup as part of the project. Many women like Jeyarasa are widows of Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war or the 2004 tsunami and are often the sole provider for their families. Others have suffered domestic violence, abuse and extreme poverty.

S. Karunawathi stands in the ocean 100 metres from her home in Veransolai, Trincomalee. Grandmother and mother of four, she operates a business where she rents a small boat and fishing equipment to local fishers. She has been able to invest in this equipment by being part of Sudeesa's conservation project and obtaining a micro-loan from the NGO. In the past she has had to flee her home and go to India as a refugee in 1985 & 1988 where she lived in a refugee camp due to heavy civil war fighting in the region. Previously she also had to leave her home to escape daily forms of domestic violence of her then alcoholic husband. She returned to the house in 1992. Then in 2004 while looking after her 18 month old grandson the Indian Ocean Earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit. She sustained minor injuries but her grandson was washed away and never found. Her home was also badly damaged. She is still slowly rebuilding the house with large sections of the roof still to be fixed. Her business allows her to do so as well as pay for day to day essentials. She feels passionately about educating her community and others about the importance of the Mangrove Forest.

The mangrove forest, Chilaw Lagoon, Sri Lanka. Chilaw is home to Sri Lanka's main mangrove museum. Run by Sudeesa the facility conveys the incredible importance of the mangrove to the island nation. In the last 100 years the forest, nationwide, has been depleted by 80%. Much of its destruction has occurred in the last 30-40 years. Commercial shrimp farming is responsible for cutting down huge areas of the biodiverse forest to make way for big business. Vast areas were also destroyed due to bombing campaigns in the bloody civil war which ended less than a decade ago. Salt production and firewood collection also have a big impact. 50% of mangrove forests have been lost globally in the same period. Amongst its many benefits mangrove forests provide breeding grounds for fish which provide food and jobs for a huge proportion of the population. They act as natural barriers from storms and tsunami's. And crucial to the future of the planet mangrove forests sequester 3-5 times more carbon than other tropical forest.

A woman takes part in NGO Sudeesa's mangrove replanting projects in Mannar, Sri Lanka. She is one of 15 women who take a variety of Mangrove species as saplings and plant them in this area where the Mangroves need replanting. She will spend a further five days with the other women learning about the importance of Mangrove Forests and how to actively protect them from the variety of threats they face even though they have protected status. She will also learn how to operate her own business and as part of the programme and will have the option to take out a micro-loan to help with the start up costs of her new business. Many of the women who take part in the project are their families sole providers, some have been widowed by the 2004 tsunami and the country's brutal civil war which ended less than a decade ago. All of the women were incredibly interested and motivated to plant and protect the forests that provide so much for coastal and lagoon communities.

A man prepares fish 🐟 in a market in Sri Lanka. 🎣 In the island nation a huge proportion of the population rely on the food & jobs that fishing provides. There are numerous lagoons around the island surrounded by diverse mangrove forest which provide the breeding grounds for a plethora of fish and marine life.

Delsan Tharmaseeli stands for a portrait in her home, Pappamoddai, Mannar, Sri Lanka. Since 2015 Delsan has worked as logistics manager for NGO Sudeesa in the North of the country. One of Sudeesa's main projects is the protection of Sri Lanka's remaining mangrove forest and the replanting of 10,000 acres of forest that has been lost to deforestation. Delsan lived here during a time of heavy civil war fighting. In 2006 her father joined the national soldiers but broke both legs while in action. By 2007 their community was controlled by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). At this time it was compulsory for at least one family member per household to fight for the LTTE. Delsan was the only one in her household fit to fight and within 3 months of training was sent to the battlefields. In 2008 she was involved in a heavy fighting in which many around her lost their lives. During the battle her arm was severed at the shoulder forcing her to lose it. She recalls feeling as though she was dying with those around her at the time.

The Raigam Salt Farm, Periyakarachchi Lagoon, Sri Lanka. Vast mangrove forest once stood where we can now see the giant salt farm. Because of the unique conditions the Mangrove Forest's provide it makes the areas extremely valuable and vulnerable to businesses who wish to capitalise from them. Over 80% Sri Lanka's forest has been lost in the last 100 years in part due to the exploitation of the environment from a number of businesses. 50% of mangrove forests have been lost globally in the same period. Mangrove forests sequester 3-5 times more carbon than other tropical forest. Following the UN’s recent climate change report that states as a planet we only have 12 years to limit global warming the expansion of big business that causes deforestation has to be addressed.