BY AGRA RANASINGHE The de-gazetting of the Wedithalathive Nature Reserve, to make it available for the establishment of a prawn farm, is currently at the appeal stage, Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) Director General M.G.C. Sooriyabandara told The Sunday Morning. “Our part was only to do the environmental study of the de-gazetting of the nature reserve. We did it a few months ago and it is in the appeal stage now. We are not aware of a final decision,” said Sooriyabandara. The Wedithalathive Nature Reserve, which is situated in the northwestern coast, consists of mangroves, tidal and mud flats, salt marshes, seagrass beds, and coral reefs, which support the livelihoods of fishermen and bring foreign currency into the country as a result of sought-after seafood. In 2014, an Integrated Strategic Environment Assessment (ISEA) commissioned by the Northern Province recommended the declaration of Wedithalathive as a nature reserve. This was done under Section 2 (1) of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance No. 22 of 2009 (FFPO), by the Gazette Extraordinary No. 1956/13 dated 1 March 2016. The first attempt to de-gazette the reserve was taken in 2017, where a cabinet paper was prepared and co-sponsored by the Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Minister of Sustainable Development, Wildlife Conservation, and Buddhasasana. Accordingly, the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) carried out an investigation and a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which approves only 1,000 hectares out of the requested 1,500 hectares, as the remaining 500 hectares is highly sensitive. It further stated that de-gazetting the area would damage the significant biodiversity of the reserve, and recommended further studies. However, despite the national laws, de-gazetting the area would violate a number of international laws as well, because Sri Lanka is also bound to international conventions in relation to the protection of mangroves, said the Environmental Foundation Ltd. (EFL). The EFL further added that despite all the economical benefits that could be gained by de-gazetting the area, loss of mangroves, loss of nurseries for fish and shellfish, and loss of biodiversity could be the impacts of de-gazetting the Wedithalathive Nature Reserve.