• To address damages including the setting off of forest fires, and issues in implementation/insufficient fines  

The Government is in the process of amending laws related to environmental damage caused by individuals, including incidents such as forest reserves being set on fire.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, the Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody said that although the existing legal framework to address environmental damage is generally adequate, there is an issue with regard to their implementation. “As an initial step, we’ve instructed all the relevant institutions to strictly apply the law in cases where the environment is intentionally harmed,” he said.

He also said that in some cases, the penalties imposed on certain offences are too small to act as a real deterrent, largely due to outdated legal provisions. “There are issues such as fines being extremely low because the laws were made a long time ago. These need to be updated. If we find any current laws not being sufficient to deal with the present-day situation, we will introduce the necessary amendments. Some laws are already being amended," the deputy minister added.

The move comes amid a rise in incidents such as forest fires, the illegal clearing of land, and the destruction of protected areas, many of which are believed to be caused by human activity. In several recent cases, forest reserves have been deliberately set on fire, either for land encroachment, farming, or other personal gain. Such activities destroy fragile ecosystems and contribute to long-term damage like soil erosion, the loss of biodiversity, and the disruption of water sources.