Abstract:
Wetlands support the livelihoods of millions of people in developing
countries. However, wetland land cover change, as a result of a growing
population and subsequent anthropogenic activities, has been evident at a
global scale. Sri Lanka is equally vulnerable to wetland changes that can have
direct effects on the sustenance of local wetland-dependent people. The main
objective of this research is, to identify the human threat on the wetland in the
urban area. The Bellanwila-Attidiya urban wetland was selected as the study
area in Rathmalana and Kesbewa Divisional Secretariat Divisions. The
observations, interviews, and questionnaires were used under the primary data
collection while research articles, books, and institution reports were used as
secondary data. In analysing data, the MS Excel software was used to find out
threat though the statistically, and geo-processing tools and Digitizing
methods were used to make maps using ArcGIS software. According to
analysis, it has been confirmed that 30% of the study area is under human
encroachment and it also has contributed to biodiversity degradation and urban
flooding. Therefore, this study aims to inform the urban public regarding the
conservation of wetlands, tightening the rules and restricting land reclamation.
