The climate of Sri Lanka has been fluctuating at an alarming rate during the recent past. These changes are reported to have pronounced impacts on the livelihoods of the people in the country. Water is central to the sustainable functioning of ecosystems and wellbeing of mankind. It is evident that pronounced variations in the climate will negatively impact the availability and the quality of water resources. The ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) approach has proved to be an effective strategy to address the impact of climate change on water resources in many parts of the world. The key aim of this paper is to elaborate the wide range of benefits received through implementation of EbAs in field level, watershed scale, and urban and coastal environments in the context of Sri Lanka. In addition, this paper discusses the benefits of utilizing EbA solutions over grey infrastructure-based solutions to address the issues related to water management. The wide range of benefits received through implementation of EbAs can be broadly classified into three categories: water supply regulation, water quality regulation, and moderation of extreme events. This paper recommends the utilization of EbAs over grey infrastructure-based solutions in adaptation to climate change in the water management sector for the developing region due its cost effectiveness, ecofriendliness, and multiple benefits received on long-term scales. The findings of this study will unequivocally contribute to filling existing knowledge and research gaps in the context of EbAs to future climate change in Sri Lanka. The suggestions and opinions of this study can be taken into account by decision makers and water resources planning agencies for future planning of actions related to climate change adaptation in Sri Lanka.

中文翻译：

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基于生态系统的适应对斯里兰卡水管理部门的气候变化和变化的影响

在最近的过去，斯里兰卡的气候一直在以惊人的速度波动。据报告，这些变化对该国人民的生计产生了显着影响。水对于生态系统的可持续运行和人类的福祉至关重要。显然，气候的明显变化将对水资源的可获得性和质量产生不利影响。事实证明，基于生态系统的适应（EbA）方法是应对气候变化对世界许多地方的水资源影响的有效战略。本文的主要目的是详细阐述通过在斯里兰卡范围内在田间，分水岭规模以及城市和沿海环境中实施EbA所获得的广泛利益。此外，本文讨论了使用EbA解决方案优于基于灰色基础结构的解决方案来解决与水管理有关的问题的好处。通过实施EbA获得的广泛利益可大致分为三类：供水监管，水质监管和减缓极端事件。本文建议在基于灰色基础设施的解决方案中使用EbA，以适应发展中地区水管理部门的气候变化，因为它具有成本效益，生态友好性以及长期收益。这项研究的结果无疑将有助于填补基于EbA的现有知识和研究空白，以应对斯里兰卡未来的气候变化。