Abstract:
Madu Ganga is the second-largest Ramsar wetland in Sri Lanka, comprising a mangrove ecosystem. As
an ecotourism activity, the boat operations at Maduganga are becoming popular among tourists visiting
the southern part of Sri Lanka. While Maduganga has the potential to be promoted as an ecotourism
site, tourism may also lead to adverse effects on the sustainability of the mangrove ecosystem and create
socio-economic imbalance within the community. As the boat operators are key stakeholders, their
information is an important source for providing strategic direction for developing sustainable
mangrove-based ecotourism in the area. Hence, this study explores how boat operators perceive boat
operations at Maduganga through their narratives. A qualitative research design was adopted. Using
snowball sampling, 10 boat operators were interviewed. Their narratives were categorized based on five
themes:1) benefits of boat operations, 2) costs of boat operations, 3) perception of stakeholder
involvement, 4) community engagement challenges, and 5) strategies for sustainable mangrove-based
ecotourism. The study contributes to the social exchange theory. Maduganga provides economic
benefits by offering multiple employment opportunities and seasonal income sources for local people.
Further, they find adverse effects of rapid, unplanned tourism development initiatives on the ecosystem
and long-term livelihoods. The boat operators have a strong emotional and cultural connection with the
river, but they perceive that their knowledge and ideas are often ignored in tourism development
planning. In addition, boat operators face challenges in unfair income distribution, competition, and
poor infrastructure development in the area. The findings imply that sustainable tourism in the Madu
ganga requires stronger stakeholder support and local community engagement, including boat operators
in decision-making processes.
