Sampath Bank launched the first phase of the coral replanting program for the protection of marine resources in the waters off the coast of Mirissa. Calling this initiative ‘A breath to the ocean’, the bank invited other environmentally conscious entities to participate in this program to transplant living corals onto dying corals and thus revive the marine life of Sri Lanka. A land-based component of this corporate responsibility program is a campaign to replant and replenish the mangrove wetlands in the area. Sampath Bank’s coral restoration project involves underwater coral farming and sending trained scuba divers into the ocean’s depths to transplant the new clusters of coral. “Sampath Bank is committed to championing environmental sustainability. Sri Lankans have a tradition of living in harmony with nature. The desire to conserve natural resources is ingrained in our culture, and these days there’s a heightened awareness of a crisis in the natural world,” said Managing Director, Sampath Bank, Nanda Fernando.
The plan includes conducting awareness workshops for the fishing community and for those who pursue tourism-related trades in the locality. Also, having demarcated the area for the marine undersea restoration project, there will be regular beach and reef cleanup patrols, and the establishment of reef balls, cement structures and floating buoys.