Optimization of Afforestation of Mangrove Species in Selected Districts in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Mangroves help to link other marine habitats, such as coral reefs, and act as a fish nursery. Mangroves are under threat all across the world, despite their environmental value and vital function in flood and storm defense. In 2015, Sudeesa along with Seacology and Sri Lankan government started a mangrove conservation project with the aim of protecting 8,815 hectares of existing mangrove forests in Sri Lanka. The Main objective of this project was to develop an integer program to determine the Mangrove species and the number of plants to be planted in each district to minimize the cost while achieving the required carbon sequestration. The ecological capacities of soil characteristics were used to identify the species appropriate for planting in each district. The data about each district were collected through proposed budget. A computer program for four different districts was developed using R programming software. The integer program is subjected to several constraints such as, area constraint with each district, carbon sequestration constraint for each species, tree distribution constraint and tree availability constraint. The developed integer program can be used to obtain the optimal values. For verification, a demonstration of how to implement the model in four different districts in Northern Province was experimented. From the results, it has identified that, by using this integer program the budget can be minimized and can achieve the expected carbon sequestration within 5 years. Even though, Sudeesa is planning to grow of 4000 hectares in all four districts, this approach helps to minimize the total cost for planting with the achievement of targeted carbon sequestration within a smaller area.