National Facilitating committee – Sri Lanka The project comprises with seven sub projects including the national coordination mechanism. The sub project were involving with the awareness activities, enhancing the capacity of governance and improving communication among stake holders, establishing youth groups as volunteer conservationist and to develop management plan, filling up of information gaps including the assessment of prevailing threats and practicing some innovative incentive strategies at selected fishing villages. The project basically involved with coordinating project activities and compile project findings to facilitate project partners and coordinating with policy formulation/assessment, facilitating capacity enhancement at relevant agencies and community in order to improve dugong and seagrass conservation. The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) is entrusted with the overall conservation of fauna and flora of the country including marine environment and the maintenance of its diversity. The functions of DWC are legally governed by the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance and the Wildlife Conservation Policy approved in the year 2000. DWC maintains a network of protected areas in the country including its sea for the purpose of conserving the natural resources within. The protected area network includes National Parks, Nature Reserves, Strict Natural Reserves and Sanctuaries. NFC Meeting Project Inauguration EPSC NFC meeting is mainly facilitated project partners to compile project findings and coordination of project partners. Relevant policies were compiled and policy gaps analyzed. Capacity assessment conducted and recommendation was made to improve the capacities for dugong and seagrass conservation. To improve the dugong conservation advocacy, a group of young students has been designated as environment conservation ambassadors under the dugong and seagrass conservation project. Disseminate dugong conservation messages at once for a large audience, paper advertisements were published in national weekend newspapers in three languages (Sinhala, Tamil and English). T-shirts and field bags with dugong conservation message were distributed among stake holders including local community members. Incentives to the local community to improve their income through alternative income in order to reduce fishing pressure to the dugong habitats and reduce by catch and accidental entanglement of dugongs. The establishment of the NSC have been a great success and seem to have provided a clear platform to discuss and recommend policy decisions. Any kind of policy directives could be discussed at the NSC and would be submitted as a common proposal. Coordinating the project activities by a responsible government agency or a person from such agency would help to keep partners intact and easy to collaborate with other respective agencies While engaging with marine tourism, the young group are directly involving with conservation activities. Since they are from the community itself, field level conservation is easy and effective. Conservation Ambassadors Dugong and seagrass conservation management plan has to be endorsed by the secretary of the ministry. Dugong sensitive areas to be declared as protected areas with allowing fishing under suitable regulations. Strengthening the enforcement capacity and communication among all stake holders including community to immediate disseminate of information regarding marine sector conservation. NSC to be continued with ministerial recognition and periodically should meet to discuss any matter arisen from the conservation and management of marine sector. Tourism to be regulated and closely monitored to improve and maintain the quality of service. Those group would be authorized to monitor the seagrass and dugong in their sea. Recognizing them as a volunteer conservation groups would help to change their attitude positively to words conservation. Awareness signagers