Wewalkele is one of the pilot ESAs, is home to several threatened animal species such as the Thambalaya (Labeo lankae), the Leopard (Panthera pardus), the Fishing cat (Prionailurus vi-verrinus), the Elephant (Elephas maximus), and the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). Amidst the 125 flora species identified, cane plants grow to be quite tall and dense, are usually located in mud-dy groves, and are extremely thorny. People from the surrounding villages harvest Heen Wewal (Calamus) from Wewelkele using unsustainable means to make handicraft items that often sup-plement their household incomes. Recognizing the role played by the Wewalkele area in biodi-versity and sustenance of ecosystem services, and its potential threats, Divisional Secretariat (DS) and the community members joined hands to safeguard it via the respective Local Management Committee (LMC) in 2018, defining Wewalkele Co-Management Plan. The area was surveyed both socially and physically, demarcated to avoid further encroachment to ensure its conservation targets are met. And, to leave no one behind, the project focused on incentivizing the surrounding community to conserve the ESA while sustaining the economic benefits derived from it by transforming their existing natural resource usage to green jobs by enhancing their skills, facilitating stable market linkages and ultimately promoting the cane industry further. To ensure the sustainability of the community livelihoods, the project also worked towards setting up cane nurseries along with the required replanting facilities and support the village craftsmen to develop craftsmanship on value added products and to link them with marketing networks. The strong partnership with the local government bodies the community and oversight of LMC was the secret to the success of the managing ESA. Communities, natural habitats and biodiversity can co-exist, benefit each other, be protected and thrive, and the Wewalkelaya ESA is evi-dence of that!
One of the key lessons learned is that the absence or vagueness of legal and policy frameworks for co-management has limited the effectiveness and sustainability of ESA interventions at the initial stage of the project. Where clear, recognized backing was formed, community roles were more respected, rights were defined, and conservation outcomes became more enduring.
Equitable benefit sharing is essential to the success of ESA co-management. In the We-walkele ESA, conservation efforts were designed to align with local livelihoods, particularly by enhancing the cane-based handicraft industry. Through training, market linkages, and in-stitutional support, communities gained stable incomes while actively contributing to biodi-versity conservation. This mutually beneficial arrangement demonstrates that when communi-ties share both the responsibilities and rewards of managing an ESA, conservation efforts become more inclusive, participatory, and sustainable.
