Thursday, October 20, 2011
අලි පුරාණගම නිවාස 5ක් කඩති
කරුණාරත්න ගමගේ සහ මනම්පිටිය - ජයකොඩි
මනම්පිටිය පුරාණ ගමේ පිහිටි නිවාස 05 ක් පෙරේදා (15 දා) අලුයම අලින් විසින් කඩා බිඳ හානි සිදු කොට තිබේ.
එක් තාවකාලික නිවෙසක් මුළුමනින්ම කඩා බිඳ දමා ඇති අතර අනෙක් නිවෙස්වල බිත්ති කඩා බිඳ වී, සහල්, ලුණු ආදිය ආහාරයට ගෙන ඇත.
ජල ගැලුම් නිම්න ජාතික වනෝද්යානයේ වෙසෙන අලින් ආහාර සොයා මෙසේ ගම්වැදීම දිනෙන් දින වැඩිවී ඇතැයි ගම්වාසීහු පැවසූහ. අලි ගම්වැදීම වැළැක්වීම සඳහා විදුලි වැටක් ඉදිකර දෙන්නැයි ඔවුහු රජයෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටිති.
ජල ගැලුම් නිම්න ජාතික වනෝද්යානයට අයත් මනම්පිටිය ප්රදේශයේ මහවැලි ගඟෙන් වැලි ගොඩදැමීම සහ එ ආශ්රිත කලාපයේ ගඩොල් කැපම වැනි මිනිස් ක්රියාකාරකම් දිනෙන් දින ඉහළ යැම නිසා අලින්ට වාසභූමි අහිමි වී ඇති බවත්, මේ හේතුවෙන් අලි ගම්වැදීම වැඩිවී තිබෙන බවත් වනජීවී නිලධාරීහු කියා සිටිති.
http://www.divaina.com/2011/10/17/news13.html
මනම්පිටියේ නිවෙස් පහක් වන අලි පහරින් කුඩුපට්ටම්
පොළොන්නරුව මනම්පිටිය ප්රදේශයේ ගම්මානයකට රාත්රි කාලයේ පැමිණි වල් අලි රංචුවක් නිවාස 5 ක් කඩා බිඳ දමා ඇත. මෙයින් ගෙවල් දෙකක් සම්පූර්ණයෙන් පොඩිපට්ටම් කර ඇති අතර, එහි පදිංචිකරුවන් දිවි බේරාගෙන තිබේ. මෙම නිවෙස්වල තිබූ කිරිපිටි, ලුණු වල් අලින් විසින් කා දමා තිබේ.
විපතට පත් දරු පවුලක් විනාශයට පත් නිවසේ බඩු බාහිරාදිය පරීක්ෂා කළ අන්දම.
ඡායාරූපය - ගාමිණී ඔබේසේකර පොළොන්නරුව විශේෂ
http://www.dinamina.lk/2011/10/17/_art.asp?fn=n11101711
Minister orders halt to forest clearing near Wilpattu
Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa had instructed the relevant authorities to abandon forest clearing in Thausamadama area which comes under one mile buffer zone of the Wilpattu national park.
He had instructed the Forest Conservation Department (FCD) and the State Timber Corporation (STC) to conduct a comprehensive investigation on the matter and to take legal action against the persons who involved in this illegal clearing.
This environmental destruction was brought to the attention of the minister by Sri Lanka Green Movement Project Manager Bandu Ranga Kariyawasam at a discussion held at the Ministry premises recently.
The minister also thanked the movement for the revelation of these facts and valued the organization's contribution to protect the environment in the country.
The minister also noted that reforestation should be carried out in the cleared forest land to restore the forest.
It was reported that 254 acres in Moradawilluwa and Thausamadama near Kala Oya are being cleared to be distributed among people for cultivation claiming that they have obtained FCD permission.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/10/15/news48.asp
Alternate land or money for acquired property to be decided
By Pabodha Hettige
The government has appointed a committee to identify people whose lands will be acquired for the second phase of Hambantota port project, an official of the Ministry of Ports and Highways said.
"The Cabinet gave approval on Wednesday to a proposal submitted by the President to appoint a committee to look into the matter," Additional Secretary to the ministry, A. Jayawickrama said.
The committee comprises nine members headed by Jayawickrama including government officials in Hambantota. It is currently in the process of developing a scheme to provide compensation to the land owners.
"The committee will identify government owned lands in the Hambantota district and compensate the land owners for their lands, in the vicinity of the port, given for the port project," he said.
A choice would be given to the land owners to decide whether they want land or money as compensation.
Responding to a query Jayawickrama said that the land values will be evaluated by the Valuation Department officials who are also in the committee.
According to Jayawickrama the government has already compensated the land owners whose lands were acquired for the first phase of the project.
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=36877
Minister vows action against forest rapists
Environment Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa today instructed the Central Environment Authority (CEA) to take immediate action to put an end to the alleged destruction of forests at Thawsamadu in the Wilpattu National Park.
The minister’s instructions came in the wake of discussions he had with Sri Lanka Haritha Organisation (SLHO) -- a leading environment protection group. SLHO provided the minister and his officials with facts and figures including visual data on how vast areas of forest lands in Wilpattu are being systematically destroyed by people who are allegedly supported by influential politicians in the area.
The minister instructed the Forest Conservation Department and the State Timber Corporation officials to frame charges against public officials who assisted those engaged in illicit deforestation. SLHO Project Manager Bandu Kariyawasam said a proposal approved by the Chief Ministers to handover certain forest land to Divisional Secretaries does not augur well for the protection of forests in the country.
He stressed it would lead to major environmental issues if the proposal was carried out. Mr. Kariyawasam requested the minister to publish a newspaper notice to inform the people that forests came under the Forest Conservation Department and the Environment Ministry was responsible to protect and safeguard these valuable natural and national resources.
The CEA’s Forests Conservator General H.M.P. Hitisekara and State Timber Corporation Director Aruna Adhikari assisted the minister at the discussion.
Sandun A. Jayasekera
The minister’s instructions came in the wake of discussions he had with Sri Lanka Haritha Organisation (SLHO) -- a leading environment protection group. SLHO provided the minister and his officials with facts and figures including visual data on how vast areas of forest lands in Wilpattu are being systematically destroyed by people who are allegedly supported by influential politicians in the area.
The minister instructed the Forest Conservation Department and the State Timber Corporation officials to frame charges against public officials who assisted those engaged in illicit deforestation. SLHO Project Manager Bandu Kariyawasam said a proposal approved by the Chief Ministers to handover certain forest land to Divisional Secretaries does not augur well for the protection of forests in the country.
He stressed it would lead to major environmental issues if the proposal was carried out. Mr. Kariyawasam requested the minister to publish a newspaper notice to inform the people that forests came under the Forest Conservation Department and the Environment Ministry was responsible to protect and safeguard these valuable natural and national resources.
The CEA’s Forests Conservator General H.M.P. Hitisekara and State Timber Corporation Director Aruna Adhikari assisted the minister at the discussion.
Sandun A. Jayasekera
කවියමඩුව ප්රදේශයේ දැව කැපීම වහාම නැවැත්වීමට පියවර ගන්න
ශීලා උඩුවර
විල්පත්තුව ආශි්රත කවියමඩුව ප්රදේශයේ සිදුකරන දැව කපාදැමීම් වහාම නැවැත්වීමට පියවර ගන්නා ලෙස පරිසර ඇමැති අනුර පි්රයදර්ශන යාපා මහතා අදාළ බලධාරීන්ට උපදෙස් දුන්නේය.
මේ සම්බන්ධයෙන් වැඩිදුර විමර්ශනයක් කර ඊට සම්බන්ධ නිලධාරීන්ට විරුද්ධව වහාම නීතිමය පියවර ගන්නා ලෙසද ඇමැතිවරයා වන සංරක්ෂණ දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව හා රාජ්ය දැව සංස්ථාවට නියෝග කළේය.
පරිසර ඇමැති අනුරපි්රයදර්ශන යාපා මහතා හා ශ්රී ලංකා හරිත ව්යාපාරයේ ස්වභාවික සම්පත් සංරක්ෂණ හා කළමනාකරණ වැඩ සටහනේ කළමනාකරු බන්දු රංග කාරියවසම් මහතා හමුවී සුහද කතාබහක.
ඇමැතිවරයා මෙම නියෝග කළේ ශ්රී ලංකා හරිත ව්යාපාරය හා ඇමැතිවරයා අතර පරිසර අමාත්යාංශයේ පැවැති සංවාදයකින් අනතුරුවය.
එම සංවිධානය නියෝජනය කරමින් ස්වාභාවික සම්පත් සංරක්ෂණ හා කළමනාකරණ වැඩසටහනේ වැඩසටහන් කළමනාකරු බන්දු රංග කාරියවසම් මහතා මෙම සාකච්ඡාවට එක්විය. මධ්යම පරිසර අධිකාරියේ සභාපති ආචාර්ය චරිත හේරත් වන සංරක්ෂණ ජනරාල් එච්. එම්. පී. නිමිසේකර රාජ්ය දැව සංස්ථාවේ වැඩබලන අධ්යක්ෂ අරුණ අධිකාරී යන මහත්වරු ඇතුළු නිලධාරීහු එක්වූහ.
මෙම විශාල දැව කපාදැමීම් පිළිබඳ ඡායාරූප සහිතව මෙහිදී ඇමැතිවරයාට කරුණු ඉදිරිපත් කෙරිණි. ඊට ප්රතිචාර දක්වමින් ඇමැතිවරයා මෙම පියවර ගෙන තිබේ.
මීට අමතරව එම සංවිධානය මගින් ඉදිරිපත් කළ තවත් යෝජනා රැසක්ද ඇමැතිවරයාගේ අවධානයට යොමු විය.
වනසංරක්ෂණ දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව සතු වනාන්තරවලින් වැඩි ප්රතිශතයක් නියෝජනය වන අවශේෂ කැලෑවල පාලනය නැවත ප්රාදේශීය ලේකම්වරයා වෙත පැවරීමට මහ ඇමැති හමුවේදී යෝජනාවක් ඉදිරිපත්ව තිබූ බවත් එවැනි සංශෝධන මගින් පරිසර හානියක් සිදුවන බවත් මෙහිදී බන්දුරංග මහතා පැවසීය. අවශේෂ කැලෑ නිදහස් කිරීමත් සිදු නොවන බව පැවසූ ඇමැතිවරයා එම වනාන්තරවල අයිතිය වන සංරක්ෂණ දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව සතු බවට පුවත්පත්වල පළකරන ලෙස වනසංරක්ෂණ ජනරාල්වරයාට නියෝග කළේය.
පරිසරය ආරක්ෂා කිරීම සඳහා පරිසර සංවිධානයක් මෙසේ තමා සමඟ සාකච්ඡා කිරීම පිළිබඳව ඇමැතිවරයා සිය ස්තුතිය පළ කළේය.
http://www.dinamina.lk/2011/10/14/_art.asp?fn=p1110145
Friday, October 14, 2011
Revenue earning animals in Yala abandoned - Animals in the national park looking for water
Animals living in the Yala national park roam far and wide in search of water due to the prevailing drought. The pictures show many animals in a desperate state going in search of water. Animals affected most are deer, crocodiles and elephants. The forest Department earns a large income showing these animals to tourists. But it appears that the authorities have so far not taken any steps to fill small ponds with water for these animals. The authorities should do something for these animals from monies earned through tourism.
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=36716
Elephants raid Minipe farmer colonies
Wild Elephants are invading the Minipe farmers' colony over the past few days, revealed a report from the Uda Dumbara electorate, in the Kandy district. According to the report compiled on October 3, peasants of Kolongoda, Meegolla, Palugolla, Vileyaaya and Vevare off the Hasalaka-Hettipola Vilgamuwa road, which goes across a part of the Minipe colony have made complaints to local authorities about wild elephants roaming in their villages, damaging or destructing crop fields there.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/10/10/news37.asp
දැඩි නියඟය නිසා යාල වනෝද්යානයේ සත්තු ජලය සොයා හිස් ලූ ලූ අත යති.
කතරගම - කේ.ඩී. දේවප්රිය
යාල ජාතික වනෝද්යානයට මාස කීපයක සිට බලපා ඇති නියඟය හේතුවෙන් වැව් අමුණු රැසක් වියළී ගොස් තිබීම නිසා එහි ජීවත්වන වන සත්තු රැසක් දැඩි පීඩාවකට පත්ව සිටිති.
මැණික් ගඟේ ජලය හැරුණු කොට අන් පිහිටක් නොමැති මෙම වන සතුන් ජලය සොයා යන සිත් කම්පා කරවනු ලබන දර්ශන හා ඡායාරූප පෙළක් කැමරා කාචයේ සටහන් කර ගැනීමට හැකිවිය.
මුවන්, ඌරන්, උරගයන්, අලි ඇතුන් මෙම නියඟයෙන් පීඩා විඳින අයුරු දැක ගැනීමට හැකිවිය. වන සතුන් පෙන්වා විශාල ආදායමක් උපයන වන ජීවී දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව නියං සමයේදී වන සතුන්ට ජලය බීමට හැකි වැව් පද්ධති හෝ කුඩා පොකුණුවත් හදා ඇති බවක් නොපෙනෙන අතර වන සතුන් පෙන්වා ලබන මුදල් වලින් හෝ අසරණ වන සතුන්ට ප්රයෝජනවත් දෙයක් සිදු කිරීමට වගකිවයුත්තන්ගේ අවධානය යොමු විය යුතුය.
http://www.divaina.com/2011/10/10/provin03.html
මැණික් ගඟේ ජලය හැරුණු කොට අන් පිහිටක් නොමැති මෙම වන සතුන් ජලය සොයා යන සිත් කම්පා කරවනු ලබන දර්ශන හා ඡායාරූප පෙළක් කැමරා කාචයේ සටහන් කර ගැනීමට හැකිවිය.
මුවන්, ඌරන්, උරගයන්, අලි ඇතුන් මෙම නියඟයෙන් පීඩා විඳින අයුරු දැක ගැනීමට හැකිවිය. වන සතුන් පෙන්වා විශාල ආදායමක් උපයන වන ජීවී දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව නියං සමයේදී වන සතුන්ට ජලය බීමට හැකි වැව් පද්ධති හෝ කුඩා පොකුණුවත් හදා ඇති බවක් නොපෙනෙන අතර වන සතුන් පෙන්වා ලබන මුදල් වලින් හෝ අසරණ වන සතුන්ට ප්රයෝජනවත් දෙයක් සිදු කිරීමට වගකිවයුත්තන්ගේ අවධානය යොමු විය යුතුය.
http://www.divaina.com/2011/10/10/provin03.html
Thursday, October 6, 2011
ලක්ෂ 35 කට ව්යාජ ගජමුතු අලෙවියට තැත් කළ පස් දෙනෙක් කොටුවෙති
වැඩිදුර පරීක්ෂණ පොලොන්නරුව ජ්යෙෂ්ඨ පොලිස් අධිකාරි සරත් කුමාර ජෝශප් මහතාගේ උපදෙස් පරිදි සහකාර පොලිස් අධිකාරි එම්. ආර්. පී. සරත්ප්රේම මහතාගේ මගපෙන්වීම අනුව හබරණ පොලිසිය මගින් පැවැත්වීමට නියමිතය. ගජමුතු හා ඒවා පරීක්ෂා කරන අයුරු.
සටහන හබරණ - හරිස්චන්ද්ර ගුණවර්ධන
Now Soragune forest sees animals out, golf course in
Environmentalists charge that a hotel and golf course are to be constructed in the Uva Province by clearing 628 acres of the Soragune forest. The project has been given the green light by the Board of Investment (BOI) and entrusted to Alpha & Omega Developers (Pvt) Ltd.
The hotel/golf course is to be constructed in an area close to the Badulla and Haldummulla divisional secretariats, adjacent to the Kalkan oya, claimed Banduranga Kariyawasam of the Sri Lanka Haritha Project. The Kalkan oya serves more than two-thirds of the needs of the Weli oya water project which nurtures 28 tanks during both the yala and maha harvest seasons, serving 3000 acres in all. Thus, ultimately, the Weli oya water project is served by water resources that originate from the Soragune forest.
Further, the Soragune forest also provides water to the Udawalawe and Gal Amuna projects, said environmentalist, Ravindra Kariyawasam.
It is also said that an elephant path connecting Udawalawe and Bogahapitiya runs through Soragune forest which falls under the purview of the Department of Wildlife and Conservation and the Soragune devale.
“If this hotel project goes ahead, then its waste matter could pollute Kalkan oya. If the golf course is created it would lead to the destruction of invaluable flora and fauna,” said Banduranga Kariyawasam. The twin projects could also pave the way for a sharp increase in human-elephant conflicts warned the environmentalists.
President of the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) Charitha Herath told LAKBIMAnEWS that the CEA has already sought an environmental impact assessment report from the firm in charge of the project, adding that if the report reflects any harm to the environment, the CEA will take all the necessary measures to halt the project in its tracks.
http://www.lakbimanews.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3013:now-soragune-forest-sees-animals-out-golf-course-in&catid=35:news-features&Itemid=37
Sri Lanka’s Forests Will Soon Be Gone
Trees are cut down all over
Questions have been raised as to who has authorized the District Secretary of Puttalam and Divisional Secretary of Wanathawilluwa to grant permission to clear 245 acres of land in the Wipattu National Park buffer zone.
Two hundred and forty five acres of thick jungle in Moradawilluwa and Thavusamadama which is in the Wilpattu buffer zone are now being cleared for a supposed agricultural project said Director Environment Conservation Trust, Sajeewa Chamikara.
According to Chamikara, more than 100 acres have been completely cleared by now and the State Timber Corporation is in the process of felling all the old valuable trees on a directive by the Forest Department. This is in complete violation of the Fauna and Flora Act of 2009.
Jagath Gunawardena, Attorney-at-Law specializing in environmental law told The Sunday Leader that if the said land is within one mile of the buffer zone of the Wilpattu National Park, any development activities can be authorized only by the Director General, Wild Life Conservation Department under Section 9A of the Fauna and Flora Ordinance.
“Permission can be given only after the project proponent submits an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report or an Internal Environmental Examination report which is then subjected to public comments for a 30 day period. Approval can be granted only after this process has been concluded. In addition, under Section 51 of the North Western Provincial Environmental statue, the Director North Western Environmental Authority can issue a directive to suspend this project immediately pending approval and enforce it through a court order in the event of non-compliance. However since this issue is under the purview of the Wild Life Conservation Department (WLCD) no other agency can give approval contrary to the powers vested in the WLCD,” said Gunawardena.
According to Chamikara, as per the State Land Ordinance it is strictly prohibited to develop forest land over 50 acres which is neither a national park nor a reserve without the approval of the WLCD, the Forest Department, Agrarian Services Department, Irrigation Department and Archeological Department as well as the respective District and Divisional Secretaries.
District Secretary Puttalam Kingsley Fernando told The Sunday Leader that these 245 acres have been given to the villagers for paddy cultivation and there is no necessity to obtain permission from other government departments as this had been initiated in 1991 and the project abandoned due to the threat posed by the LTTE. After the war was concluded, the land was demarcated and allocated to the villagers for cultivation.
When asked as to why he had failed to obtain the necessary approvals from the Central Environmental Authority, the WLCD, and the departments of Agrarian Services, Forest, Irrigation and Archeology, as per the State Land Ordinance, Fernando said that there is no necessity for such approvals.
“This is not a decision taken by me but by the District and Divisional Coordinating Committees. This land does not belong to the Wilpattu buffer zone or the Forest Department; hence there is no need to go for an EIA report. In addition these regulations may not have existed in 1991,” he added.
Refuting this claim, Chamikara said that an EIA report would have to be obtained, since no development work had taken place after the original decision had been taken in 1991.
Divisional Secretary Wanathawilluwa Mahinda Jayasinghe when contacted by The Sunday Leader said that an EIA report has not been obtained to develop this land. “These lands had been given in 1991 during my predecessor’s tenure. I came to Wanathawilluwa only in 2002. For the time being 65 acres have been cleared and the rest will be cleared in due course,” he said.
Chairman Wanathawilluwa Pradeshiya Sabha Douglas, Indika Senadheera told The Sunday Leader that deforestation is devastating the environment and that nothing could be done as long as the government is silent over these issues. He also accused government officials of bypassing rules and regulations with regard to Wilpattu.
“Illegal sand mining in Wilpattu is being done by none other than Navy personnel. I once got the police to confiscate a lorry transporting sand illegally, but the very next day the Navy got the vehicle released,” claimed Senadheera.
Chairman Central Environmental Authority (CEA) Charitha Herath told The Sunday Leader that no party had obtained an EIA report before clearing the said land, adding that engagement in such development work without an EIA report is a punishable offence.
Director General, Wild Life Conservation Department (WLCD) H. D. Ratnayake too said that he has not given any approval for such a project and asked The Sunday Leader to speak with Forest Department officials.
When contacted, the Puttalam District Additional Forest Officer said that the Divisional Secretary Wanathawilluwa had ordered the State Timber Corporation to fell the trees.
Land Commissioner General R. P. R Rajapakse when contacted said that he was unable to comment since he was not sure of this particular issue.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader, Deputy General Manager (Operations) State Timber Corporation (STC), N.V. Karunaratne said that the Divisional Secretary Wanathawilluwa had on three occasions ordered the STC to cut and remove the trees by a letters dated March 21, 2011 (to cut and remove 878 trees), April 7, 2011 (to cut and remove an additional 855 trees and April 19, 2011 (yet another 1028 trees). Of these 2761 trees the STC has currently only felled 643 trees, he added.
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2011/10/02/sri-lanka%E2%80%99s-forests-will-soon-be-gone/
Destruction in protected areas sounds death knell for eco-systems
Endangered seem to be the so-called Protected Areas (PAs), as huge cultivations, attempts at land-grabs, cutting of public roads and sand-mining are carried out sans consideration for the drastic consequences not only for Sri Lanka but also the world.
Reports from across the country are flowing in fast and furious about the massive destruction of PAs. Taken in isolation, they seem like sporadic instances but as a whole they sound a red alert for our very survival, said a conservationist, a view underlined by many others.
The tragedy is that it is in breach of the law, another perturbed environmentalist pointed out, explaining that the PAs come under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO), the forests under the Forest Ordinance and Sinharaja alone under the National Heritage Wilderness Areas Act.
The PAs come under the stewardship of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), while forest areas are under the Forest Department.
No one, stressed many a conservationist, is against development. But development must encompass conservation, and respect laws enacted to protect the environment, for ill-planned development will end in disaster, they said.
Conservationists also pointed out that Sri Lankans seem very proud that the country is a “biodiversity hotspot”. Although it means there are many endemic species, it also means that there is an exceptionally high level of danger to them.
Some countries have landmasses that are more diverse, but they are not “hotspots” because they are not under threat. Did you know that to be a “hotspot” more than 70% of the landmass should have faced destruction in the past few years, a conservationist asked.
As many conservation activists and groups such as the Environmental Foundation Ltd., (EFL), Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS), Environment Conservation Trust, Wilderness and Protected Areas Foundation (WPAF), Wildlife Conservation Forum, Young Zoologists’ Association, Ceylon Bird Club and Galle Wildlife Conservation Society spoke up against the degradation and denudation of Pas and forests. The Sunday Times turned the spotlight on them and the very first World Nature Heritage Site in the country to uncover what ails them.
The Sunday Times has taken this major destructive strand running throughout the Pas and the forests to weave the big disastrous picture that will toll the death knell not only for Sri Lanka’s animals and plants but also for its diverse eco-systems.
Somawathie National Park
A commercial banana plantation is being set up on a large parcel of land in this National Park, alleged environmentalists, providing satellite images as proof of park encroachment. It has a very sensitive flood plain area, stressed others, while an EFL spokesperson was perturbed that a large acreage seems to have been “written off” for bananas under a memorandum of understanding signed between the Army and ‘Letsgrow’, the local partner of the international company, Dole Food Inc., based in the US.
Many environmentalists disclosed that ‘Letsgrow’ established in 2009, is managed by the brother of a well-known Sri Lankan bowler along with another cricketer.
As of July 2011, nearly 500 acres of the National Park are under banana, the EFL spokesperson pointed out, adding that the story being spread is that it is the abandoned Kandakadu farm of the National Livestock Development Board (NLDB) on the park’s boundary. However, the EFL showed the Sunday Times satellite maps which indicated that part of the clearing and cultivation is within the park.
When Somawathie sanctuary was declared a National Park and expanded, a part of the NLDB’s abandoned farmland fell within its boundaries, said environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardena, adding his voice to the outcry against PA destruction.
“This is very much a part of the park and should not be touched under the law,” he said. Delving into the demarcations, the EFL spokesperson said that it was in 1966 that the Somawathie Chaitiya sanctuary was first declared. In 1986 it was upgraded to National Park status, due to the importance of the animals and plants in the area. Once again in 1987, more land was added to the National Park, as Block 2. The serious issues with regard to boundaries need to be addressed urgently, she said, refuting claims that the eastern park boundary is the Mahaweli Ganga. “No it’s not. The boundary is the Kandakadu ela,” she said.
While the flood plains (flat land beside the Mahaweli Ganga that becomes flooded in the rainy season) of Somawathie are home to over resident 200 elephants, the National Park is also the epicentre of other PAs such as Kaudulla, Minneriya, Chunnakkadu and Wasgamuwa and should be treated and maintained as a contiguous habitat, was the view of many.Small human settlements are also being set up within the park, another activist pointed out.
Flood Plains National Park
The flood plains along the Mahaweli Ganga within the park are falling victim to mechanized sand-mining, which ironically is prohibited, raising questions about the DWC’s abilty and willingness to take action, was another grouse of conservationists.
The authorities are turning a blind eye to the mining with backhoes, a source said, adding that squatters in the area are also engaging in this illegal activity.
Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve (SNRs)
One of only three SNRs in the country, Hakgala which is of immense value with regard to biodiversity, is threatened by potato, leek and cabbage cultivations and settlements continuing to encroach on the SNR, the EFL spokesperson said.
Two cases filed by EFL against the DWC for inaction against encroachers were settled on the basis that certain terms laid down by court would be met. A major challenge is also the encroachment into Hakgala by the Ambewela farm, EFL sources said, adding that the DWC was dragging its feet by excluding the farm in its demarcation of the SNR’s boundaries. This was while the farm had taken the law into its own hands and electrically fenced itself in.
The EFL is considering initiating legal action once again to get the DWC to evict encroachers, the Sunday Times learns.
Wilpattu National Park
World famous in the past for startling images of leopards on white sands, in recent times what has been highlighted is the rape of the pristine Wilpattu National Park to cut two 60 foot roads, one close to its unique villu system and the other hugging the coastline.
Wilpattu’s plight is being fought in the Supreme Court, with the case against the DWC, the Navy and the Ministries of Economic Development and Tourism, filed by EFL, WNPS and WPAF, going in for argument next January.
Banana cultivation at Somawathie National Park. Pic by Vimukthi Weeratunga of EFL
There was large-scale felling of valuable timber trees such as weera, palu and karuwala to make way for the “interior” road from Eluvankulam to Mullikkulam, while the road cuts across the Kala Oya flood plains, an activist lamented, adding it has harmed the villu system and led to many road-kills of animals.
Attempts have also been made by the military to fence off certain areas of Wilpattu, he said.
Many visitors to Wilpattu informed the Sunday Times that the coastal road has collapsed destroying many archaeological treasures. Yearly flooding of the interior road for nearly nine months makes it impassable, a fact that those clamouring for “right of way” have not taken into account, a source pointed out, while another added that the Kala Oya flood plains are the largest in the country and should not be decercrated by a public road.
Meanwhile, large-scale sand-mining has also dogged the Moderagam Aru on the park’s northern boundary, with the matter being brought up in Parliament and Wildlife Minister S.M. Chandrasena denying allegations and explaining that dredging of the waterway is done to prevent flooding.
Ruhuna (Yala) National Park
Development of the buffer-zone activity prohibited under the FFPO, is taking place at this National Park. The one-mile buffer zone is meant to ward off the effects of untoward development activity close to the parks, said activists.
There are also serious concerns about military activity within Yala, with many sources pointing out that especially during the Pada Yatra, stalls had been erected along the devotee-trail within the park.
It was like a circus with much pollution, a source said, stressing that nobody including the DWC had thought about the consequences on the animals and plants. “People forget that these National Parks are meant for the protection of fauna and flora,” a disgusted animal rights activist said.
Sinharaja, the World Nature Heritage Site
It may not be in the heart of Sinharaja, but this World Nature Heritage Site considered the “jewel” in the crown, is facing imminent danger with the latest attempt being to cut a road on its boundary connecting Ilumbakanda village to Suriyakanda.Twice started and twice stopped, if a road is cut on the eastern side of Sinharaja known as Morning Side, it will spell disaster to both fauna and flora, stressed EFL’s Vimukthi Weeratunga, showing the repercussions of a “new but bad frontier” being opened up.
The argument that the villagers of Ilumbakanda are isolated doesn’t hold water as they already have an access road, a conservationist pointed out.
First will come a road, followed by local politicians either ignorant or those looking for quick votes, grabbing land for distribution, Mr. Weeratunga said harking back to the past when Sinharaja became the experimental toy of high-level politicians who first attempted to feed a white-elephant plywood factory by stripping this natural wonder and later allowed large-scale mechanized logging here.
Once again, the plea is that Sinharaja, home to many unique and endemic species couldn’t and shouldn’t be taken in isolation but as a contiguous habitat and protected as such.
Roads, settlements or tea and cardamom cultivations in any of the 14 forest areas identified as the 11,000-hectare Sinharaja Adaviya, which includes the National Wilderness Heritage Site, will lead to fragmentation and loss of both animals and plants, said another conservationist.
Another explained that Sinharaja is the most vulnerable hotspot and any dabbling with it or its environs, where the critical mass would be reduced, could lead to the extinction of many “point endemic” species. Point endemism is when a species is confined to one local area within a site, he said, adding that there may be many more undiscovered species within Sinharaja.
Many were the questions raised why it has taken so long for the authorities to acquire the areas around Sinharaja coming under the Land Reform Commission (LRC).
The Sunday Times learns that under Articles 9 and 10 of the World Heritage Convention (WHC), it requires the evolutionary process to continue for a site to be considered of “natural” importance globally.
Once a Natural Heritage Site is declared due to its “uniqueness and universal value” with world biota being identified there, after competing heavily with many other sites, the authorities of the country where it is located have to abide by the WHC.
It no longer belongs to the government of that country but to the global community and nothing should be done to endanger it, a source said.
It is an area of land or sea that is especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biodiversity/natural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means.
The three categories under the PAs are Natural Reserves, Sanctuaries and Managed Elephant Reserves. The Natural Reserves are further sub-divided into seven groups: Strict Nature Reserves; National Parks; Nature Reserves; Jungle Corridors; Refuges; Marine National Parks and Buffer Zones.
- Strict Nature Reserve -- No human activities are allowed here and it is protected as a pure natural system. Research may be carried out under strict supervision of the DWC, with approval from the Director-General, following strict guidelines to minimize impact. There are only three SNRs: Hakgala, the only one in the Wet Zone; Yala and Ritigala.
- National Park – An area allowed for the public to see and study wildlife, within certain rules and regulations to ensure maximum protection to wildlife and their habitats. The 14 NPs covering the entire range of ecosystems in the country include: Somawathie, Wilpattu and Yala.
සොරගුණේ වනාන්තරය හෝටල් ව්යාපෘතියකට
මෙමගින් ගොවි පවුල් දහස් ගණනාවක් ජීවිතය සරි කරගන්නා අතර පානීය ජලය ආදී තම එදිනෙදා සියලු ජල අවශ්යතා ද සපුරා ගනුයේ මෙමගිනි. වේලිඔය ව්යාපාරය සඳහා ප්රධාන වශයෙන් ජලය ලැබෙන සොරගුණේ වනාන්තර ඉඩම් තුළ අරළු, බුළු, බුරුත, නෙල්ලි, ගම්මාළු කහට වැනි ඉතා වටිනා ශාක ද ඌව මැන්ඩොරා නමැති මෙම ප්රදේශයට පමණක් සීමා වූ ඉතා දුර්ලභ ශාක විශේෂ ද දැකගත හැකි අතර මෙම පරිසර පද්ධතිය ප්රදේශයේ ජල උල්පත් ආරක්ෂා කරන එකම වනාන්තර ප්රදේශයයි. තවද උඩවලව හා ගල්අමුන යන ව්යාපාරයන් ද මෙම ජලයෙන් පෝෂණය වනු ලබයි.
එයට අමතරව උඩවලව බෝගහපට්ටිය යා කරන සාම්ප්රදායික අලිමංකඩ වැටී ඇත්තේ ද මෙම සොරගුණේ වනාන්තරය තුළින්ය. ජෛව විද්යාත්මකව ඉහළ වටිනාකමක් ඇති සොරගුණේ වනාන්තරය කපා හෝටල් සහ ගෝල්ෆ් ක්රීඩාපිටියක් ඉදිකිරීම සඳහා 2011-04-11 දින ශ්රී ලංකා සංචාරක සංවර්ධන අධිකාරියේ අධ්යක්ෂවරයකු විසින් හල්දුම්මුල්ල ප්රාදේශීය ලේකම්වරයා වෙත ලිපියක් යොමු කරමින් අවසරය ඉල්ලා ඇත.
සොරගුණේ වනාන්තරය සතු ඉඩම් වන සංරක්ෂණ දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවට හා සොරගුණේ දේවාල සතු රාජකාරි ඉඩම් ලෙස දැනට පවතින අතර එය වේලිඔය ව්යාපාරයේ ප්රධාන ජලපෝෂිත ප්රදේශය ද වේ. 1931 අංක දහනවය දරන විහාර දේවාලගම් ආඥ පනතට අනුව විහාරය හෝ දේවාලය සතුව ඇති රාජකාරි ඉඩම්වලින් එම පූජනීය ස්ථානවලට නිල පංගුව ඉටු නොවන්නේ නම් පමණක් එම ඉඩම් වෙනත් අයවළුනට පවරා දිය හැකි නමුදු වැසියන් විසින් දේවාලය සතු අනූනවයක් වූ රාජකාරි ඉටු කරමින් සිටියදී සිය මඬිය තර කරගැනීම උදෙසා පරම්පරා උරුමයන් නසමින් සොරගුණේ කුඩා කතරගම දේවාලය සතු වනාන්තර ඉඩම් බෙරගල ගොල්ෆ් රිසෝට් නමැති හෝටල් ව්යාපෘතිය හා ගොල්ෆ් පිටි ඉදිකිරීම සඳහා ඇල්ෆා ඇන්ඩ් ඔමෙගා ප්රයිවට් ලිමිටඩ් අංක 65, ධර්මපාල මාවත, කොළඹ 07 යන ආයතනය වෙත ලබාදී ඇත. මෙම අවසරය ලැබෙන්නේ වාසු රාසයියා නමැති ඇමරිකාවේ පදිංචි පුද්ගලයාගේ හෝටල් දොළදුක නිවීම සඳහාය.
සොරගුණේ කුඩා කතරගම දේවාලයේ බස්නායක නිළමේ ජනක රවීන්ද්ර කළුපහන විසින් දේවාලයේ නිල රාජකාරි ඉටු කරමින් සිටින වැසියන් පාරට ඇද දමා ඇමරිකානුවන්ගේ මනදොල පිනවීම සඳහා මෙම ව්යසනයට කටයුතු කරමින් සිටී. සොරගුණේ දේවාලයේ බස්නායක නිළමේගේ අවසරය පරිදි වාසු රාසයියා නමැත්තාගේ බෙරගල ගොල්ෆ් රිසෝට් හෝටල් ව්යාපෘතිය ඉදිකිරීමට යැමෙන් පරිසරයට හා වේලිඔය ව්යාපෘතියට සිදුවන දැවැන්ත පරිසර හානිය පිළිබඳ ඌව පළාත් සභා මහ ඇමැති ශෂීන්ද්ර රාජපක්ෂ වෙත 2011-07-04 දින කොටවෙහෙරමංකඩ කණ්ඩියපිට, අලුත්වැව, හම්බෙගමුව යන ග්රාමසේවා වසම්වලට අයත් ගම්මාන 35 ක පමණ ජනතාවගේ ජීවිත සුරක්ෂිත කිරීමේ අවශ්යතා පැහැදිලි කරමින් වේලිඔය ව්යාපාරයේ ඒකාබද්ධ ගොවි සංවිධානය විසින් ලිපියක් භාරදී ඇත. පසුව එම ප්රදේශයේ දිස්ත්රික් ලේකම්වරයා, ප්රාදේශීය ලේකම්වරයා වෙත මෙම කරුණු පිළිබඳ දැනුම් දී වේලිඔය ජලපෝෂක ප්රදේශය ආරක්ෂා කර හෝටල් හා ගොල්ෆ් ක්රීඩාංගණය ඉදිකිරීම වළක්වාලන ලෙස ඉල්ලා සිටිය ද මෙය වළක්වාලීමට කිසිදු පියවරක් මේ වන තෙක් ගෙන නොමැත.
මිනිසුන් දහස් ගණනක් ගොවිතැන් බතින් තම ජීවිතය ආරක්ෂා කරගන්නා වේලිඔය ප්රදේශයට ජලය ලබාගැනීමට වෙනත් කිසිදු මාර්ගයක් නොමැති අතර ප්රදේශයේ තිබෙන පුරාණ වැව් විසිහත ද පෝෂණය වන්නේ කාල්කන්ඔය, වේලිඔය වැනි ජල ධාරාවන්ගෙන්ය. එම ජල මූලාශ්ර පෝෂණය කරන සොරගුණේ වනාන්තරය විනාශ කිරීම ගම්මාන තිස් පහක පමණ ජනතාවගේ ජීවන ආර්ථික, සමාජයීය හා සංස්කෘතික වශයෙන් අස්ථාවර වනවාට නිසැකය. එමෙන්ම මෙම ප්රදේශය දිය බිඳක් නොමැති ප්රදේශ බවට පත්වීමට බෙරගල ගොල්ෆ් රිසෝට් ව්යාපෘතිය විශාල බලපෑමක් වනු ඇත.
වාරිමාර්ග දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ අදහස වන්නේ බෙරගල ගොල්ෆ් රිසෝට් හෝටල් ව්යාපෘතිය මගින් වනාන්තර ඉඩම් විනාශ වී යැම ප්රදේශයේ ජල හිඟයකට හේතුවන බවයි. මේ වන විට සොරගුණේ වනාන්තරය තුළ ඉදිකිරීමට නියමිත බෙරගල ගොල්ෆ් රිසොට් හෝටල් ව්යාපෘතිය නීත්යනුකූල ලෙස තහනම් විය යුතු අදියරට පැමිණ ඇති නමුත් මේ වන විටත් එම ව්යාපෘතිය ක්රියාත්මක කිරීමට අවශ්ය වැඩකටයුතු සිදුවෙමින් පවතී.
දහස් ගණනක් ගොවි ජනතාවගේ ජීවිත මහපාරට ඇදදමින් ඇමරිකානුවන්ට ගොල්ෆ් ගැසීමට පිට්ටනි සකස් කිරීම කෙතරම් අසාධාරණ ද යන වග වටහා ගත හැක්කේ බත් කන මිනිසුන්ට පමණකි. ඩොලර් කුට්ටිවලට යටවෙමින් වේලිඔය ගොවි ව්යාපාරයේ ගොවි ජනතාවගේ ජීවිත උගසට තැබීම නවතා දැමිය යුතු කාලය පැමිණ ඇත. සුළු ආර්ථික වාසි තකා තම වරිගයේ උන් ඇමරිකානුවන් ඉදිරිපට දණ ගැස්සවීමේ ප්රතිපත්තියෙන් බැහැර වී සොරගුණේ වනාන්තර ඉඩම් ආරක්ෂා කර පරිසරය සුරක්ෂිත කිරීමත් දහස් ගණනක් වූ ගොවි පරපුරේ උරුමය සුරැකීමත් දේශයට සෙනෙහේ දක්වන අප සැමගේ යුතුකම නොවන්නේද?
රවීන්ද්ර කාරියවසම්
http://www.divaina.com/2011/10/02/feature15.html
Wild elephant dying of a ‘hakka patas’ injury
A wild elephant aged about 20 years is starving to death in the Flood Plain National Park due to a serious injury in its mouth caused by an illegal explosive device called “hakka patas” laid by poachers to kill wild boar. A veterinary surgeon of the Wildlife Conservation Department Dr. W.A.Dharmakirthi said the jumbo might have sustained damage to its internal organs as well. A team of wildlife conservation officers under Dr, Dharmakirthi who rushed to the scene on information received from the villagers is providing treatment.
http://print.dailymirror.lk/news/provincial-news/57770.html
http://print.dailymirror.lk/news/provincial-news/57770.html
වල් අලි පහරින් දරුවන් දෙදෙනකුට බරපතළයි
අලුයම ගමට කඩා වැදුණ වන අලියකු බැලීමට ගිය දරුවන් දෙදෙනෙකුට එම අලියා පහරදී තුවාල ලබා රෝහල් ගත කර ඇත.
විල්ගමුව බෝගහවැව ගම්මානයට ඊයේ (28) අලුයම 6.30 ට පමණ වන අලි දෙදෙනකු පැමිණ ඇති බව ගම්මුන් දැක ඇත. අලියා බැලීම සඳහා එකම පවුලේ දරුවන් දෙදෙනකු නිවස පිටුපසට දිවයද්දී අලියා පහරදී ඇත.
තුවාල ලැබූ අවුරුදු 5 සහ 14 ක් වයසැති දරුවන් දෙදෙනා හඳුන්ගමුව රෝහලට ඇතුළත් කිරීමෙන් පසු බරපතළ තත්ත්වයේ ඇති බැවින් මහියංගණය රෝහලට ඇතුළත් කර ඇතැයි පොලිසිය කියයි.
ගම්වැදි සිටින අලින් දෙදෙනා පලවා හැරීම සඳහා වනජීවී නිලධාරීන් හා පොලිසිය එක්ව මෙහෙයුමක් දියත් කර ඇත.
http://www.dinamina.lk/2011/09/30/_art.asp?fn=n1109307
No forest clearance within Wilpattu Buffer zone
The Forest Conservation Department (FCD) has not granted permission for a forest clearance within the one mile buffer zone of the Wilpattu National Park, said Conservator General H M Hitisekera when inquired by the Daily News yesterday.
He said that any forest land coming under the department in the Wanathawilluwa Divisional Secretariat Division had not been released for any institution to carry out agricultural projects.
It was reported that 254 acres in Moradawilluwa and Thausamadama near Kala Oya are being cleared to be distributed among people for cultivation claiming that they have obtained FCD permission.
Environment Conservation Trust Director Sajeewa Chamikara pointed out that the forest clearance may aggravate the human-elephant conflict while disturbing the eco-system of this area. He observed that written permission should be obtained from the Wildlife Conservation Department (WCD) director general before starting such a project according to the process of environment impact assessment specified under the National Environment Act. Otherwise it is a violation of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance.
When inquired from WCD Director General H D Ratnayake, he noted that the Department has not granted permission to this project.
He noted that the department will not hesitate to take legal action against any project carried out within forest lands that come under its perview, if it has harmed the environment violating the environment laws and regulations. Wanathawilluwa Divisional Secretary was not available for comment.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/09/29/news40.asp
Speed limit for trains to protect elephants
Following several rounds of discussion Railway officials together with Wildlife Conservation Authorities will impose speed limits for trains on certain areas on the Northern and Eastern railway track, Wildlife and Agrarian Services Minister S.M. Chandrasena said.
"According to the talks we had with Railway officials, the trains need to limit their speed in areas where elephants cross the railway track," Minister Chandrasena told the 'Sunday Observer'.
According to the Wildlife Conservation Department Director General H.D. Ratnayake new signposts will be set up at these spots on the Northern and Eastern railway track. "These signposts will alert train drivers that elephants cross these spots and drivers
would have to reduce their speed," said Ratnayake.
"We are exploring the possibility of clearing jungle patches at these spots. This is due to the low visibility at the bends along the jungle tracks which could cause accidents," Ratnayake said.
Around five elephants were killed this year due to train accidents and there have been 180 elephant deaths, according to the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
Wildlife officials said a large number of elephants die due to hakkapatas set up in cultivations by farmers to protect crops from elephants.
http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2011/09/25/new31.asp
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