Online edition of Sunday Observer - Business: "The coastal ecosystem - coral reef, mangroves, seagrass beds, coastal dunes, mudflats, salt marshes and lagoons - have all been severely damaged, especially the coral reefs, many of which have lost their structure and biota. The force of the tsunami waves moved large amounts of boulders and sections of the reef and also thousands of tons of smaller fragments along with sand and silt. A team of researchers of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) who did a rapid post-tsunami assessment of a 30 kilometre coastal stretch extending from Medilla to Godawaya in the Hambanthota District have found that four major bays have been severely damaged. The narrowing and lowering of the beach in these areas (the team discovered) had also greatly affected the ecological balance. "
