brand logo

Businessmen become farmers to cut trees 

03 Mar 2021

Approximately 20 acres of forest land close to the Dahaiyagala Sanctuary, belonging to the Department of Forest Conservation (DFC), is alleged to have been cleared by businessmen acting under the guise of being traditional farmers, The Morning learnt.  Wildlife officials claimed that this deforestation took place after businessmen misinterpreted and exploited President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s statements made at the “Gama Samaga Pilisandara (Discussion with the Village)” programme held on 30 January that land should be released to traditional farmers for cultivation purposes.  Accordingly, Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation Secretary Bandula Harischandra told The Morning yesterday (2) that a discussion with the President has been requested by the officers through the Ministry.  “We have already sent a written request to the Presidential Secretariat in this regard,” said Harischandra.  Speaking to The Morning yesterday, officials of the DFC said that about 20 acres of forest land adjacent to the Dahaiyagala Sanctuary have been illegally cleared by businessmen. They added that despite legal action being taken against deforestation, it still continues.  However, Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) officials told The Morning that attempts to clear the forest cover inside the Dahaiyagala Sanctuary have been successfully curbed for the time being.  According to DWC officials, the sanctuary holds both state and private lands which were traditionally owned by farmers. However, no new areas can be cleared inside the sanctuary for farming or any other activities, they added.  Furthermore, Socialist Youth Union (SYU) National Organiser Eranga Gunasekera told The Morning that they have learnt through visits to the area that businessmen are engaged in deforestation as an investment. “There’s a clear difference between the deforestation done by businessmen and that which is carried out by traditional farmers. Traditional farmers would clear a maximum area of two acres. That is not the case here,” said Gunasekera. Gunasekera further alleged that approximately 1,000 acres of land inside the sanctuary have been cleared.  The Morning reported on 1 March that members of the All-Island Wildlife Guard Officers’ Union were unhappy with the President’s “Gama Samaga Pilisandara” programmes, claiming that it often leads to misinterpretation and in turn, dire consequences for forest areas.  Global Forest Watch records that Sri Lanka lost 10.3 kilo/hectares (kha) of natural forest cover in 2019.


More News..