The main aim of this year’s calendar and complimentary items project, conducted under the company’s ongoing CSR initiative “preserving heritage for tomorrow” is to raise awareness amongst the public about the importance of coral reefs to Sri Lanka which goes far beyond beauty and aesthetics, to ensuring a balanced ecosystem, preventing coastal erosion and even to the extent of providing important medicinal compounds. One of the other most important aspects of coral reefs is also contributing to food security. Thus, ensuring the continuity of these species for the wellbeing of future generations is crucial.

Coral reefs are one of the most biologically rich and economically valuable ecosystems found on earth, and habitation to thousands of different species where a single reef can be inhabited by over 3000 different species. In Sri Lanka, coral reefs are valuable resources especially for coastal communities where fishing has been one of the main forms of livelihood for years. Thus, coral reefs also support industries such as fisheries as well as tourism. Apart from this, coral reefs also support thousands of other organisms that both live and feed on the reefs, some of which possess medicinally important compounds. Furthermore, coral reefs help to confront natural disasters such as tsunamis. This was researched and proven to be true after the Tsunami of 2004, where studies showed that areas where the coral reefs were damaged experienced much higher waves and greater damage inland than areas where the coral reefs were intact.

source: http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=118381