On this two-hour ecotour through Pottuvil Lagoon, by traditional out-rigger canoe, you will have the chance to experience the amazing wildlife and beauty of a mangrove ecosystem.

Located 2kms north of Arugam Bay, Pottuvil Lagoon is home to over seventy types of birds - both resident and migratory species - as well as abundant prawns, fish, water snakes, monitor lizards, crocodiles, monkeys and even the occasional elephant.

The ecotour is a part of a mangrove conservation project, run by local fishermen from the Hidiyapuram Fishermen's Cooperative Society, with support from a local NGO, Sewalanka Foundation.

The Pottuvil Lagoon Ecotour is part of a unique community-based ecotourism project that is working with local fishermen to re-forest and manage the mangrove ecosystem of Pottuvil Lagoon.

The ecotour provides extra income for local fishermen - who will be your tour guides - and finances ongoing conservation and mangrove replanting activities, such as the Mangrove Seedling Nursery. By getting out in a canoe in Pottuvil Lagoon you will be contributing to the conservation of mangrove ecosystems in Sri Lanka and helping to protect that the wildlife that depends upon them.

More than 60% of the mangrove forest in Pottuvil Lagoon has been destroyed over the past two decades, a consequence of the recent civil conflict. Now the mangroves are threatened by new development and by expanding farming activities.

The destruction of mangroves reduces habitat for all wildlife, but in particular it reduces the vital underwater habitats created by the mangrove's intricate roots. These are essential for the production of fish and prawns. The destruction of mangroves has resulted in falling incomes for fishermen and increasing poverty in local villages.

By replanting mangroves fishermen are replacing this valuable habitat. One of their concerns is to increase their income from fishing. The Mangrove Seedling Nursery, managed by Raheem a local fisherman, is an important part of the replanting process. Five types of 'true mangroves' and three types of 'mangrove associates' are raised in the nursery, for re-planting in the lagoon.

The ecotour also tries to increase awareness and knowledge about the importance of mangrove, through education programmes run in collaboration with local schools. You will visit the Mangrove Seedling Nursery and the Mangrove Education Centre during the ecotour.