An Application of the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) Methodology in Sri Lanka: Assessing the economic value of restoring the ecological health of Beira Lake in Colombo

The SAVi assessment evaluates four restoration scenarios for South-West Beira Lake in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It finds that upgrading wastewater treatment facilities is the most cost-effective intervention, as it addresses nutrient inflow and eutrophication. The most significant economic gains are achieved by combining wastewater upgrades with dredging, which is projected to increase surrounding property values by USD 43 million and recreational spending by USD 19.5 million between 2020 and 2025.

• Upgrading wastewater treatment facilities to reduce pollution is identified as the most cost-effective and benefit-generating intervention for the lake.
• Investing specifically in the wastewater treatment system (Scenario 2) is projected to increase the economic value of properties surrounding South-West Beira Lake by over USD 14 million by the end of 2025 and increase recreational spending by locals and tourists by USD 10 million between 2020 and 2025.
• Dredging lake sediment (Scenario 3) is considered insufficient on its own because it does not address the continuous inflow of nutrients, resulting in only slight improvements in water clarity and limited economic gains.
• The highest economic impact is achieved by combining wastewater treatment upgrades and dredging (Scenario 4), which is estimated to generate a USD 43 million increase in property values and a USD 19.5 million increase in recreational spending between 2020 and 2025.

APA

Wuennenberg,, A. B. P. (2019). An Application of the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) Methodology in Sri Lanka: Assessing the economic value of restoring the ecological health of Beira Lake in Colombo. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/application-sustainable-asset-valuation-savi-methodology-sri-lanka-assessing

Chicago

Wuennenberg,, Andrea Bassi,Oshani Perera,Laurin. An Application of the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) Methodology in Sri Lanka: Assessing the economic value of restoring the ecological health of Beira Lake in Colombo. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2019. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/application-sustainable-asset-valuation-savi-methodology-sri-lanka-assessing.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wuennenberg, |first1=Andrea Bassi,Oshani Perera,Laurin |title=An Application of the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) Methodology in Sri Lanka: Assessing the economic value of restoring the ecological health of Beira Lake in Colombo |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=31 August 2019 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/application-sustainable-asset-valuation-savi-methodology-sri-lanka-assessing |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wuennenberg2019application, author = {Wuennenberg,, Andrea Bassi,Oshani Perera,Laurin}, title = {{An Application of the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) Methodology in Sri Lanka: Assessing the economic value of restoring the ecological health of Beira Lake in Colombo}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2019}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/application-sustainable-asset-valuation-savi-methodology-sri-lanka-assessing}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }