Deforestation and destruction of endemic species | Long-standing issue gone wild – nation.lk – The Nation Newspaper

Large-scale land grabbing with political influenceMinister presents conservation proposals to Cabinet

By Sarah Hannan

Ongoing deforestation and the loss of forest cover to cultivation and development work continues to be a hot topic, as the Government accelerates development and continues to encourage citizens to turn to agriculture in an attempt to reach self-sufficiency in food production.

With 2020 seeing the most amount of land clearing taking place, even amidst a nationwide lockdown, the Centre for Environmental and Nature Studies (CENS) has estimated that in 2020 alone, at least 10 acres of forest land were cleared each day.

According to the Minister for Wildlife and Forest Conservation C.B. Rathnayake, conserving the environment around us is a national responsibility, and the Ministry alone is not in a position to protect the environment.

Commenting on the matter to The Sunday Morning, Rathnayake said: These deforestation and land-grabbing rackets did not commence recently. These have been long-standing issues, and there are several entities at work in destroying nature and encroaching into forest land.

Moreover, Rathnayake said that when it comes to development work, the possibility that important infrastructure would be built over sensitive ecosystems, or could pose a threat to endangered species, or disrupt natural habitats and cause human-wildlife conflicts, needs to be looked at during the environment impact assessment prior to commencing the projects.

Even if you look at the more prominent large-scale development work that took place in Sri Lanka, many sensitive areas, historically important sites, and forests were destroyed, or they were flooded by the reservoir waters. But today, we have a better process in place, and we consider all possible methods to ensure there is minimum invasion over the ecosystem of the country when development work is carried out, Rathnayake elaborated.

It has been proposed to establish a Long-Range Unit of the Police Special Task Force (STF) to assist Wildlife and Forest Conservation officers to take immediate action against deforestation.

In the meantime, the Police is to list out conservation areas, wildlife zones, and sanctuaries in the respective police divisions, as well as establish wildlife and forest conservation committees in each district.

More than 25 ecosystems, including Wilpattu, Anawilundawa, Ethawetunuwewa, Nilgala, Rekawa Lagoon, Vavuniya Mamaduwa, Rambakan Oya, Flood Plains Valley, and Galwalayaya, were destroyed. Even protected areas such as Sinharaja Forest, Sri Pada Forest, and the Knuckles Mountain Range, were not left alone these sensitive ecosystems were disturbed under the guise of development.

Centre for Environmental Justice Executive Director Hemantha Vithanage and his team have been conducting field visits to hear the villagers out on the issues they are facing in terms of environmental destruction and impact on their livelihoods.

Sharing some of his observations and the accounts of the people that they met recently, Vithanage explained to The Sunday Morning: There is a large-scale land grabbing racket going on in the Uva and Eastern Provinces, which are backed by persons and institutions with political influence. They are well organised, and have managed to forge documents and deeds along with the survey plans, and have managed to fabricate files to indicate that they held these lands for over three decades.

According to Vithanage, these incidents had been revealed to them by the participants, during a meeting held in Badulla.

On a graver note, Vithanage stated that in Pottuvil, there is a considerable amount of land grabbing taking place, and since most of these lands are released for cultivation with annually renewing permits, there is a separate racket going on where businessmen from other areas are sending people to squat in these plots that are underdeveloped in an attempt to own these lands later on using forged documents.

Meanwhile, amidst the recommencement of work on the Central Expressway Project, which was stalled for over a year, it was brought to public attention that an endangered and endemic perennial tree, scientifically named Crudia zeylanica, or Sri Lankan Legume, was under threat of being destroyed, as the layout of the expressway was to go right over the ecosystem that holds the tree in place.

Claims were made that it was the sole surviving tree and should not be destroyed. Environmentalists, forest officers, politicians, and the media recently flocked to the site of the tree to observe and make statements in an attempt to protect the endemic and endangered tree.

The Sunday Morning spoke to University of Peradeniya Faculty of Science Department of Botany Head Prof. K.M.G. Gehan Jayasuriya, who is currently conducting research on the endemic species of plants in Sri Lanka that are on the verge of extinction.

The claims that are made that the tree that was spotted in Daraluwa, in the Gampaha District, are not true. There are several other Crudia zeylanica that were planted in the Peradeniya Botanical Garden, and then at the Henarathgoda Botanical Garden as well. While our research work only provides us the necessary means to study the ecosystem in which the tree would grow, and whether it could survive in an ecosystem as a singular species, or whether it has other subspecies that supports its survival, we are unable to look at improving or reproducing these trees, Prof. Jayasuriya noted.

Even academics are puzzled as to why there is suddenly a spotlight over this single tree, whereas the matter should have been raised at the time the field observations were made; had the scientists recognised that this was an endangered species, they should have immediately classified the tree and the surrounding area to be earmarked as a protected area under the Flora and Fauna Act.

Prof. Jayasuriya also requested that a national programme needs to be in place, if we are eager to protect endangered species that are endemic to the country and save them from going extinct.

When we conducted further research about Crudia zeylanica, we came across an entry at the herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, for which the famous botanist G.H.K. Thwaites had collected and submitted specimens of plant parts such as leaves, stem(s), and flowers/inflorescence in September 1863 that were pressed and preserved for cataloguing purposes. In the entry, Thwaites had listed the area of collection as Calutara (Kalutara).

With botanists indicating that there might be more Crudia zeylanica plants in low wetland areas of the country, the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation had requested the public to supply any information about surviving Crudia zeylanica plants by contacting them via telephone 011 367 1490, fax 011 287 9051, or email [emailprotected]

Minister for Wildlife and Forest Conservation C.B. Rathnayake had recommended the Cabinet of Ministers consider conserving the Crudia zeylanica tree in its original location in Daraluwa, as any attempts to move it might damage the tree.

I have suggested that the Road Development Authority and the Highway Minister consider adjusting the layout of the Central Expressway by considering an alternative that would protect the tree in its original location, Rathnayake explained.

He also reiterated that the responsibility of protecting and conserving the environment, and educating the future generations on conserving our natural habitat, should take place through the education sector as well.

I plan to discuss this matter with the Ministry of Education and request that they get the universities involved in looking at protecting any flora and fauna that are listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In addition to that, we are also looking at setting up a teaching hospital in the wildlife veterinary care field attached to the University of Peradeniya as well, which will help us protect our wildlife and allow undergraduates to closely study the species that are endemic to Sri Lanka.

With the increasing deforestation and environmental damage taking place across the country, Ministry of Defence Secretary (Retd.) General Kamal Gunaratne recently shared his remarks with the media, indicating that the matter was taken up for discussion during a recent meeting of the Defence Council.

We are looking at implementing a task force with the assistance of the Police, the Sri Lanka Army, and the Sri Lanka Air Force to monitor the situation. While measures are in place to arrest the culprits, the clearing of vast areas continue to take place. We have received leads that some of the state officials too have been aiding these entities to carry out such exercises.

Gunaratne also added that when police, special task force, or army personnel visit the sites of areas that are subjected to deforestation, the labourers operating the machinery had permits in hand to carry out these activities. He noted that the President and the Prime Minister have been notified about such incidents, as these deforestation incidents have been taking place in the middle of reserves and thick forests.

Meanwhile, Gunaratne alleged that a Buddhist monk who was considered to be a close ally of the governing party is allegedly involved in environmental destruction in the Trincomalee area, and he had alerted the Governor of the Eastern Province and police officials to look into it and take immediate action.

I urge the media to report such incidents immediately and work closely with the Police to assist in arresting these perpetrators. It is quite unfortunate to know that there are several divisional secretaries who have issued permits and licences to such entities. Regardless of their political affiliations, no perpetrator should be allowed to get away with such offences, he explained.

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Deforestation and destruction of endemic species | Long-standing issue gone wild - nation.lk - The Nation Newspaper