Sri Lanka has not transposed its SEA requirements into
national legislation though it has introduced EIA through its
National Environmental Act as well as the SEA for its Tourism
Master Plan. A primary problem identified in SEA implementation
for Sri Lanka has been the lack of technical capacity for
environmental assessments. A secondary problem is the
perception that SEA is a means to bypass the EIA process as
opposed to complementing it. The trends in SEA implementation
may indicate that Sri Lanka is at a transition state of
unstable political atmosphere where its main priority is
focused on economic and social developments superseding
environmental concerns