Participatory Community Development Approaches for Sustainable Fisheries Management in Sri Lanka: Evidence from Coastal Communities

Sustainable fisheries management remains a critical challenge for coastal communities in Sri Lanka, where over 250,000 individuals depend directly on fishing for their livelihoods. While top-down regulatory approaches have largely failed to address overfishing and environmental degradation, participatory community development approaches offer promising alternatives. This qualitative case study examined three fishing communities in southern Sri Lanka to understand how participatory community development initiatives contribute to sustainable fisheries management practices and outcomes. Using semi-structured interviews with 42 community members, focus group discussions with 28 fishers and fish processors, and document review, we employed thematic analysis to identify mechanisms through which participation enhances sustainability and factors enabling or constraining such approaches. Findings reveal that participatory initiatives strengthen sustainability through three primary mechanisms: behavioral change in fishing practices, improved institutional capacity for adaptive management, and enhanced social cohesion that facilitates collective enforcement of conservation rules. However, sustainability outcomes were constrained by poverty-driven destructive practices, weak government support, limited market access, and gender inequalities in decision-making. The study demonstrates that participatory approaches hold significant promise for sustainable fisheries management in Sri Lanka, but require integrated support encompassing livelihood diversification, policy reform, institutional strengthening, and deliberate inclusion of marginalized groups. These findings have implications for social work practice, suggesting that environmental sustainability and social equity must be integrated within community development frameworks.