Mangrove land cleared and filled in Puttalam for hotel project.

A five-acre plot of mangrove along the west coast, in Kurukapane, Arachchikattuwa, in Puttalam district, is being cut down to make way for an 80-room hotel. The hotel will be built by a Colombo-based hotel group.

According to Sajeewa Chamikara, of the Environmental Conservation Trust (ECT), much of the mangrove covering has been cleared and filled. No Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report was obtained for the project, which makes the cutting of the mangrove covering illegal, even if the land is privately owned.

Under the law, any construction project covering one hectare and above requires an EIA evaluation.
There is a general misconception that mangroves are of no value. Most of these mangrove lands do not have a clear ownership.

The Kurukapane mangrove forest is state-protected land, and comes under the purview of the Forest Department. This stretch of forest, previously under the Divisional Secretariat control, was officially made the property of the Forest Department in a special circular sent out by the Ministry of Environment in 2001.

The Divisional Secretary for the area had written to the Forest Department, asking it to intervene and stop the destruction of the Kurukapane mangrove forest. But no investigation has been conducted by the Forest Department. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Puttalam district has the country’s largest mangrove cover, at 3,210 hectares, but these areas are under heavy pressure from development activities.

The boom of shrimp farms in Puttalam and Kalpitiya in the ’90s resulted in widespread destruction of mangroves. Most of the shrimp farms have been abandoned.

Residents, mostly fishermen, are doing their bit to save these mangroves. Villagers who did not want their names mentioned said the hotel company project has the “backing” of local politicians.

2011 was one of the worst years for the environment

The past year – 2011 – will go on record as one of the worst years for the country’s environment, with increased destructive activity. The Dole banana farm, which encroached on the Somawathiya National Park, adjoining the Sinharaja, Bogahapattiya-Soragune golf course, was only one of the many environmentally destructive activities that were highlighted in 2011.

Environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardane said the number of environmentally destructive activities, the amount of damage done by these projects, and the unseen political “backing” that usually accompanies environmental destruction, all increased in 2011.

Mangrove Cover in Coastal Districts

District Hectares
Puttalam 3210
Jaffna 2276
Trincomalee 2043
Batticalo 1303
Kilinochchi 770
Hambantota 576
Mulativ 428
Gampaha 313
Galle 238
Ampara 100
Colombo 39
Kalutara 12
Matara 7

Published on SundayTimes on 01.01.2012 http://www.sundaytimes.lk/120101/News/nws_18.html
]]> http://window2nature.net/2012/01/03/sound-of-axe-rings-death-knell-for-lankas-forests/feed/ 0 Malaka Rodrigo http://window2nature.net/2012/01/01/top-scientists-brainstorm-on-ways-to-propel-lanka-into-the-future/ http://window2nature.net/2012/01/01/top-scientists-brainstorm-on-ways-to-propel-lanka-into-the-future/#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 07:05:28 +0000 Malaka Rodrigo http://window2nature.wordpress.com/?p=1971 ]]> More than 50 expatriate Sri Lankan scientists were in Sri Lanka last week to attend a forum to discuss ways to boost the country’s economic and social development. The arching theme of the event was “Empowering Sri Lanka through Networking and Sharing Scientific Knowledge.”

National Science Foundation chairperson Professor Sirimali Fernando addressing the forum

The three-day event, held at the Galadari Hotel, Colombo, between December 13 and 15, brought together 50 overseas-based Sri Lankan scientists and academics and 170 Sri Lanka-based scientists, industrialists, and science educators. The forum was organised by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United Nations Educational Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The participants discussed nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, advanced design and manufacture, natural resources and food and water security, among other topics. The idea of the global forum of Sri Lankan scientists was first mooted by Professor Tissa Vitarana, when he was Minister of Science and Technology. Prof. Vitarana, who is now senior Minister of Scientific Affairs, said science and research should have high priority on the national development agenda, and that the technology gap was a reflection of the poverty gap in poor and developing countries.

Pavithra Wanniarachchie, Minister of Technology and Research, said the government had adopted a national science and technology strategy to underpin the country’s economic development. National Science Foundation chairperson Professor Sirimali Fernando said China was overtaking the conventional powerhouses in science, a trend that was also being seen in many Asian countries, such as South Korea, Singapore, India and Malaysia. She said Sri Lanka should not fall behind in this Asian rising, and that the country should “harness all resources and take up the challenge.”

Prithi Perera, Secretary-General of the National Commission of UNESCO, said forums like the present one would help mobilise the international community to assist in building up Sri Lanka.

Published on SundayTimes on 18.12.2011 http://sundaytimes.lk/111218/News/nws_07.html

Charitha Herath – CEA Chairman

With the advent of technology, household electrical and electronic items started flooding in, in the 1980s. Electronic items such as Television, Radios, Refrigerators, Computers and even Mobile phones contain toxic pollutants such as lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury, polyvinyl chlorides (PVC) and other metallic and chemical compounds. While it is safer to operate them when they are new, these toxic chemicals can leak out over time, getting released into the atmosphere, to become serious environmental and health hazards. Long-term exposure to these substances can cause damage to the nervous system, kidneys and bones, as well as to the reproductive and endocrine systems. This has become a serious issue in industrialised countries which embraced these technologies, decades before they reached our country.

Dr. Sunil Herath of Giffith University, Australia, advisor to the UN on E-waste management in the Asia Region, making the guest lecture at this forum, said that safe management of E-waste is becoming a major problem in many countries. He revealed that the world generates around an estimated 20-50 million tons of E-waste annually, which ends up in Asian Countries.

Many regional countries impose regulations on E-waste. But, as a strategy to manage E-waste, the CEA initiated a programme facilitating the collection mechanism, prior to imposing regulations on extended producer responsibility. The National E-waste management programme of Sri Lanka was initiated last year in collaboration with 14 private sector partner companies including manufacturers, importers and brand owners of the e-waste. These companies set up collecting mechanisms, where sellers of electronic items finance the treatment of their own-branded e-waste, discarded by their customers. For example, mobile phone collection centers are set up to collect the discarded phones.

The CEA has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which brand owners or manufacturers of electronic products will set up these collecting centres in Sri Lanka, and will review the progress of this programme. Addressing the gathering, CEA chairman Charitha Herath said, “I believe that these companies have already proven their environmental accountability by implementing successful programmes in E-waste management”.

The CEA chairman also pointed out that, with the drastic growth of E-waste, related health issues are also on the rise, and stressed the need to raise awareness of the issue. Some parents don’t even hesitate to give their discarded mobile phones for their children to play with. But, as the lifespan of these phones expire, and the protective layers come off, these gadgets become more vulnerable – so societal awareness too helps prevent the spread of E-waste damage, he said.

Known as clean mechanism to reduce power consumption, CFL bulbs (Compact fluorescent light) too are now increasing in use. But little known is that these bulbs too need to be discarded with care, as they contain a little Mercury within. They are perfectly safe when the bulb is intact. But when broken, this metal can leak, causing pollution. Hence, these should not be discarded by just throwing them into the garbage bin, which will end up in a landfill site. Though each bulb contains only small amounts of Mercury, at the landfill dumping site, these will accumulate to cause major pollution. At the forum, ‘Asia Recycles’, a subsidiary of Orange electric also made a presentation on their initiative to recycle CFL bulbs, by setting up South Asia’s first CFL bulb recycle plant. This plant set up recently in Homagama, has the capacity to recycle 30,000,000 bulbs annually, which is nearly three times greater than the annual CFL usage in Sri Lanka.

The CEA urges the public to discard their E-waste in a responsible manner, and not become polluters. Best way to discard these electronic and electrical items is by handing them over to a collection centre. The CEA requests public to dial the government information hotline 1919, if they wish to know where the closest E-waste collection units is, to their residence or establishment.

Published on 25.12.2011 on SundayTimes http://sundaytimes.lk/111225/News/nws_10.html
]]> http://window2nature.net/2012/01/01/cea-urges-public-to-discard-e-waste-responsibly/feed/ 1 Malaka Rodrigo http://window2nature.net/2012/01/01/picture-perfect-misty-plains/ http://window2nature.net/2012/01/01/picture-perfect-misty-plains/#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 06:59:04 +0000 Malaka Rodrigo http://window2nature.wordpress.com/?p=1959 ]]> Horton Plains is one of the country’s most spectacular natural landscapes. Enormous grasslands edging the unique cloud forest, the surrounding mountain ranges and wildlife unique to the area make it a dream location for every photographer. With the aim of improving amateur skills on covering the beauty of the misty plains, a special field Photographic Workshop was recently organized by the National Photographic Art Society of Sri Lanka (NPASSL) at Horton Plains.

Misty Hortan Plains : Pix courtesy NPASSL

“Horton Plains is like a woman. At one time the sun shines smiling and the next minute, the mist changes the mood completely. Taking photographs in Horton Plains sets its own challenges, but it is a rewarding experience,” said NPASSL executive director Shantha K. Gunarathne.

The mist is indeed a unique feature at Horton Plains. Photographing in the mist is different from shooting in clear weather, but it also creates opportunities for an artistic shot. Scenes are no longer necessarily clear and defined, and are often deprived of contrast and colour – yet this can make the whole scene beautifully mysterious, adding a professional edge to the photo, say the experts.

The mist can sometimes make the subject into nothing but a husk of a silhouette. Photographing the silhouetted shapes is also another photographic opportunity. Depth and light conditions add more life to the picture. Water droplets in the mist also make light scatter a lot more than it would otherwise. This greatly softens the light, but also makes light streaks visible from concentrated or directional light sources. “However, like in any form of art it is the creativity of the individual that makes a photo taken in Horton Plains a good one,” point out the experts.

Instructor Rohitha Gunawardane highlighted the macro photography opportunities at Horton Plains – wild flowers and small creatures like frogs or horned lizards unique to this area. Most digital cameras used by amateur photographers are capable of capturing close range photos, so this can be a rewarding experiences for those who do not have sophisticated zoom lenses.

Wildlife photographer Isuru de Zoysa, – who frequently visits Horton Plains sharing his experience as a resource person at the workshop warned of the need to protect your camera from the damp when photographing in misty conditions. It usually drizzles at Horton Plains and the mist also brings lots of water droplets which can harm camera equipment. “One should be prepared to protect one’s camera equipment in the field,” advises Isuru. The mist can also cause condensation and these water droplets can accumulate in the lens and camera body. Taking along a clean absorbent cloth to wipe the lens and the camera is a must.

Established by Wilson Hegoda in 1950, the National Photographic Arts Society conducts classes, workshops, seminars and field excursions. A three-year diploma course in photography is also available free of charge.

A chance to click your best

The 38th Annual Exhibition and Competition of Photography organized by the NPASSL will be held from December 16– 18. Four categories – Amateur Monochrome, Amateur Colour, Open Monochrome and Open Colour are open to all and photographs taken on any theme can be submitted. For more details see http://www.npasslanka.org, email info@npasslanka.org or call 777 519679.

Published on SundayTimes on 04.12.2011 www.sundaytimes.lk/111204/Magazine/sundaytimesmagazine_06.html 

A sea urchin (Diadema Savignyi)

A recent visitor came out of the sea with more than 400 sea urchin spines stuck in his body, according to marine biologist Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara. In another incident, a foreigner who had gone snorkelling in urchin-infested waters had to be taken to hospital to undergo surgery under general anaesthesic. Tourism could suffer a blow if the urchin invasion continues.

The sea urchin (ikiriya in Sinhala) is a spiny, hard-shelled creature that lives on the rocky seafloor, usually in shallow waters. The globular marine invertebrate has long sharp spines all over its body, and uses these needle-like growths to ward off predators. The spines inflict a painful wound if they penetrate human skin. The spines break when they go through flesh, which has to be cut open to remove the spine fragments.

The sea urchin population explosion is a result of an imbalance in marine ecosystems, says Dr. Kumara, who heads the Department of Oceanography and Marine Geology at the University of Ruhuna. Over-fishing and depletion in numbers of the Puffer fish – one of the sea urchin’s chief enemies – could be one reason for the abundance of the urchin.

The Puffer fish blows a powerful jet of water to dislodge the urchin off rock surfaces to which it attaches with the help of a muscle in its body. The Puffer fish then turns the defenceless urchin over and attacks its soft underside, which is not protected by spines.

Puffer fish numbers have dropped as a result of over-fishing and export. Marine pollution and marine ecosystem degradation are other factors that can exacerbate the problem.

Dr. Sevvandi Jayakodi of the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, at the Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, has conducted research on sea urchins along the southern coast. She says there are signs that stretches of shallow sea facing beach-front hotels have been systematically stripped of sea urchins “This can cause a further imbalance to an already imbalanced ecosystem,” she warned, pointing out that sea urchins are the main grazers and cleaners of rocky shore systems.

In other countries, the sea urchin is regarded as a friend that has helped to control invasive giant seaweed. The sea urchin is native to our oceans, and not an alien invasive species. As a part of our marine ecosystem, their removal could have repercussions.

A colony of Sea Urchins in shallow waters

Learn about ‘The Environment and You’

To mark its 30th anniversary, the Environment Foundation Limited (EFL) is holding a series of public lectures on the theme “Conserving our Marine and Coastal Treasures”.

The first lecture was given by Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara, who spoke about the “Sea Urchin Invasion.”
The next two lectures will be on “The Economics of the Environment”, on December 8, and “Responsible Wildlife Tourism”, on December 15.

The lectures are open to the public, and held in the auditorium of the Dialog Future World Building, on T. B. Jaya Mawatha, Colombo 10 (near Excel World), from 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm. For more information, call EFL on 011-4528483.

Published on SundayTimes on 04.12.2011 www.sundaytimes.lk/111204/News/nws_14.html 

Along the Thanamalwila Road, bordering the Udawalawe National Park unfolds a unique relationship between Wild Elephants and People who feeds them. Teasing and Touching these jumbos can bring dangerous repercussions, warns the experts.

Local visitors and tourists are unwittingly encouraging a potentially lethal habit when they feed wild elephants.

A few years back, a single jumbo would be seen standing by the electric fence of the Udawalawe park, looking hopefully up and down the road for travellers who might stop by and give it food or toss out tidbits from their cars. After a while, the jumbo, a familiar sight at the fence, acquired a name, Rambo, and became a great wildlife attraction. Rambo made many human friends, and was later joined by another elephant, that was named Ramba. News was spreading along the jungle grapevine that treats were available at the fence.  These days, you will see not one or two elephants but up to 20 or more male jumbos on the inside of the fence, waiting for treats from their two-legged pals.

Some 10 years ago, when the Uda Walawe fence was put up, it was seen as a “model” ecological boundary cum barrier, neatly marking out wildlife from human space. By and large, the fence has been well maintained and manned over the years.South Asian cultures see the feeding of animals, wild or tame, as meritorious. According to folklore, the first handful from your plate of rice should be put on a leaf or a rock and left out for an animal to eat. The “balu/kaputu dhaane” – food offerings for dogs and crows – are a common feature with many Sri Lankan households.

The Thanamanwila road is an important route for tourists and pilgrims heading to the South East. Not everyone who stops to feed the elephants means well. Some tease the animals by showing food and then withdrawing the treat. Such behaviour is provocative and only invites attack.

The animal and human numbers are rising daily. Photos: Malaka Rodrigo

The Udawalawe fence is electrified only when night falls. Nocturnal prowlers that come in physical contact with the fence are in for a rude shock. Last year, the park management decided to switch on the fence during the day as well in order to avoid a disaster waiting to happen.

However, the fence requires regular maintenance and repair as jumbos break the fence more frequently now, which means the electricity has to be switched off. Villagers also trip the wires in the fence so then can send cattle into the national park to graze. As a result, the electric fence is often not functional during the day. Elephants are smart, and it is only matter of time before they will sense that the fence is “powerless” much of the time during the day.

During a recent visit to Uda Walawe, the Sunday Times observed 12 elephants standing at different spots alongside the fence, waiting for food. We stopped our vehicle where there were three elephants gathered. A boy came up to us to sell sugarcane to feed the elephants. On the other side of the road were wayside stalls selling “Elephant Treats” – bananas, melons, wood-apple and sugarcane. Selling jumbo treats to travellers has become an income earner for many residents in these parts. “It is okay to feed the elephants,” said the lad, when we pointed to the “No Feeding Elephants” signs put along the road.

A kid selling sure cane to visitors

Further up the road, a woman was throwing sugarcane at an elephant. She was the owner of a fruit stall and was trying to stall the elephant to help her to do business.

The woman admitted that feeding elephants was prohibited and that she and other vendors on the road had been warned by wildlife officers. “This is now our livelihood,” she said. Another elderly woman vendor at a shop next door sells only bananas as elephant snacks.

Driving further on, we discovered a string of wayside boutiques lining the road to Thanamalwila and beyond. These were selling produce, including fruit, vegetables, grain and pots of curd, to the steady stream of pilgrims going towards the sacred precints of Kataragama. We also discovered that the vendors dealing in elephant snacks were selling the pilgrim vendors’ rejects – bruised and discarded melons and overripe bananas.

A small road-side shop selling feeding items for elephants

“In the past few months the Uda Walawe fence has been frequently breached,” wildlife biologist Manori Gunawardena told us. She said she was driving along the road one morning, around 7 am, when she saw a wild elephant walking along the main road. “Hearing my car, the elephant ambled up to the fence, kicked over a post, and walked back into the national park”

From the number of posts that have had to be replaced in recent weeks, it is clear that some elephants have learned to break through the fence, and are making a habit of doing so.

The problem of elephants coming up to the fence has led to staff of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) actively chasing the animals away. In one area, the electric fence has had to be reinforced with a double fence put up a few hundred metres inside.

Udawalawe Park Warden D. M. Weerasinghe confirmed that elephants were regularly breaking down the fence, sometimes several days in a row. “They have developed a taste for sugarcane and other food, and now they are starting to infiltrate sugarcane farms and other cultivated land around the park. Recently an Udawalawe elephant was killed when it fell into a village well after a night-time raid,” he said, adding that there were wildlife officers on night duty as well looking for fence breakers.

Mr. Weerasinghe said there were plans to put up a second fence inside the park to stop elephants from reaching the outer fence, running along the main road. This second fence will be 16 kilometres long and 20 metres distant from the main fence.

The elephant expert Dr.Prithviraj Fenando has been studying these jumbos for many years now identifies 35 jumbos that got used to the habit. But he sees the issue from a different perspective calling it as a unique relationship between the village community and wild elephants. He pointed out that in all the conservation projects, lots of money is allocated to outreach the community in Human Elephant Conflict areas to give a positive frame of mind toward the elephants. In Udawalawe the community gets direct economic benefits from these wild elephants making it a unique example of co-existance.

Dr.Prithviraj also doesn’t think those elephants wait for food breaks the fence. “Why do they have to wait for night to break the fence..?” The food stall is out there on the other side of the road, so they can go for them even day time. He also points out that those fence breakers do not rob the food stalls at night and if those who break fence are jumbos waiting for food, their first target would be the fruit stalls infront of them. However, he said that it is possible that the other jumbos too may learn the techniques of fence breaking from those who master it, so proposes Wildlife Officers should do something to identify and get some action on the ‘Fence Breakers’.

Dominent jumbo steal food thrown at other elephant

However, the elephant expert also warns that teasing and touching the jumbos is asking for trouble. To avoid this, he proposes a simple ‘barbed wire’ 3 meters from the electric fence preventing people touching or teasing jumbos.

Driving back along the Thanamalwila road, we stopped where a group of foreign tourists had parked their Jeep. “Nowhere in the world do you get a chance to hand-feed a wild jumbo,” said one visitor who was holding out bananas to an elephant.

So these Udawalawe Elephants who comes for foods is a unique Socio-Economic and Environment phenomena that needs to be reviewed from open minds. However, if one goes too close – try to tease or touch these Wild Elephants, the results could result an awful accident sooner or later..!!

Published on SundayTimes on 18.12.2011 www.sundaytimes.lk/111218/News/nws_24.html

Pilgrims offer food for Tusker (c) Aruna Seneviratne

Not a week passes without a report of the animal community being threatened in one way or another by humans who should know better. Last week, the Sunday Times reported on the problem of over-exposure of wildlife sanctuaries to tourists, local and foreign. The increasingly intrusive presence of humans in designated wildlife reserves is a cause for serious concern among wildlife lovers and protectors.

The ancient Sithulpawwa Rock Temple found within the Yala National Park is a popular site with Buddhist pilgrims. The area is also home to a majestic tusker. Admiring a tusker from a safe distance is one thing; offering the animal food is another, and a dangerous one.

The Sithupawwa tusker has become accustomed to taking food from visitors, and even comes within touching distance to accept hand-held food. Wildlife experts say the visitors are taking a huge risk because animals behaviour in the wild is not predictable.

Wildlife photographer Aruna Seneviratne, who has taken photographs of the tusker, told the Sunday Times that the monks at the temple have been compelled to use a loud-speaker to warn people not to feed the wild elephant. However, pilgrims continue to stand near the railing surrounding the temple and throw food for the tusker.

It was an ancient religious practice to offer food to wild animals, in the belief that doing so conferred merit on the giver. Rukshan Jayawardena is a conservationist and a wildlife photographer. According to Mr. Jayawardene, elephants come to humans if they are encouraged, and not because they cannot find food on their own in the jungle. He says animals can make a habit of coming in search of food wherever humans are gathered. It has been reported that this same tusker and other wild jumbos out foraging call at bungalows within the game park.

Less than a week ago, another young tusker, nicknamed Gemunu, tried to enter a wildlife bungalow in Buttuwa, Yala. The animal has been regularly treated to snacks by safari teams, and has developed a taste for cooked food.

Wild tusker dangerously closer to pilgrims (c) Aruna Seneviratne

Some time back, the same young tusker invaded the kitchen of a Yala hotel, and got out only after a great deal of thrashing about that caused much damage to the property. The hotel has had to enforce a “strictly no feeding” policy among its guests. Sadly, while coming closer to humans through human encouragement, these wild jumbos could be digging their own grave. Several jumbos that became over-familiar with humans and were eventually tagged as “dangerous pests,” have had to be eliminated.

Elephant conservationist Lal Anthonis recalled how a wild elephant broke into his bungalow in Mahaseelawe at about two in the morning. The animal had picked up a food cabinet placed on the veranda and flung it into the garden and proceeded to smash it open.

After talking to the former chief incumbent of the Sithulpawwa Temple, Mr. Anthonis was convinced that this was another elephant that had acquired a taste for food available through human agents, and that it had probably learnt the “bad habit” at the Sithulpawwa Temple.

Not long after, the animal was shot dead when it entered an Army Camp near the reserve and tried to smash its way into a bunker. It is also rumoured that leopards too are being tempted with food at camp sites. Visitors throw food in the hope that they will get a better view of the predators.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/111127/News/nws_26.html

Dr. Vijitha Perera, Wildlife Veterinarian Surgeon for the Southern Region, told the Sunday Times that field officers at Yala claimed to have seen what they assumed to be a “female” tusker, which showed no visible sign of male genitalia when it was passing urine.

According to Dr. Perera, it can be difficult to tell the sex of a young elephant that has not fully sexually matured. The tusker in question is believed to be about six years. In fact, this very difficulty makes it a challenge to determine the male:female ratio of the elephant population in a wildlife census.

Elephant tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth. Some male elephants and female elephants can have what are known as “tushes”, which is a small short tusk with no pulp inside. Tusks remain short, and are easily identified. Both sexes of the African elephants can have tusks, while only a minority of male of Asian elephants bears tusks.

Wildlife Department Director H. D. Ratnayake told the Sunday Times that a team headed by veteran elephant researcher, Professor Charles Santhiapillai, is to visit the game reserve to have a look at the elephant in question.

published on 27.11.2011 on SundayTimes http://www.sundaytimes.lk/111127/News/nws_25.html
]]> http://window2nature.net/2011/12/02/female-tusker-report-to-be-verified-before-news-can-be-trumpeted/feed/ 0 Malaka Rodrigo http://window2nature.net/2011/12/02/banana-farm-on-national-park-land-dismantled-a-win-for-conservationists/ http://window2nature.net/2011/12/02/banana-farm-on-national-park-land-dismantled-a-win-for-conservationists/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 07:00:07 +0000 Malaka Rodrigo http://window2nature.net/?p=1930 ]]> By Malaka Rodrigo The Dole Lanka banana farm that was set up on land belonging to the Somawathiya National Park (SNP), has been dismantled. According to sources, farm machinery has been removed, and young banana trees cleared from a 500 acre area on the east bank of the Mahaweli River. The farm had extended outside the Kandakaduwa Farm area leased to the company.

The Somawathie National Park covers land drained by the Mahaweli, in the North Central and Eastern Provinces. The decision by owners Dole Lanka Pvt Ltd to shut down the farm marks a victory for conservationists, who had lobbied intensely to have the land cleared of illegal encroachment. The farm came to public notice when environment organisations, supported by the media, including the Sunday Times, highlighted the encroachment.

Young banana plants that have now been removed by the The Dole Lanka banana farm Company

While the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and the Ministry of Agrarian Services and Wildlife maintained that park land had not been encroached upon, activists and conservationists produced World Wildlife Fund (WWF) satellite images to prove that the disputed area occupied by the banana farm did indeed extend into the national park.

“We are extremely pleased with the turn of events and the prompt manner in which Dole has acted in this instance, which we trust will serve as an example to other organisations that are presented with evidence of infringements in law governing public assets,” said Wardani Karunaratne of Environmental Foundation Limited (EFL).

EFL had lobbied directly with Dole Food Inc. EFL is affiliated to the Wildlife and Nature protection Society (WNPS); Wilderness Area Protection Foundation (WAPF), and other conservationist groups. All were concerned about the unauthorised clearing of forest land within the national park.

In September, EFL and other conservationists had met a Dole Asia representative and presented their case. After conducting its own investigation, Dole Asia acknowledged that the cultivated area was within park premises. On November 16, Dole Asia confirmed that all banana farm operations had been withdrawn from the area.

According to environmentalist Sajeewa Chamikara, the farm should be outside the one-mile buffer zone around the Somawathie National Park. This is a legal requirement, under the Flora and Fauna Ordinance.

While praising the Dole Food Company for showing responsibility and responding accordingly, Mr. Chamikara said there was a danger that other commercial interests may be eyeing the abandoned lands, and that vigilance was required.

The conservation community of Sri Lanka has appealed to all investors to first conduct studies on the legality and environmental sustainability of any business moves that involved use of land around the country, especially forest land.

 Published on SundayTimes on 27.11.2011 http://www.sundaytimes.lk/111127/News/nws_17.html
]]> http://window2nature.net/2011/12/02/banana-farm-on-national-park-land-dismantled-a-win-for-conservationists/feed/ 0 Malaka Rodrigo http://window2nature.net/2011/11/22/lankas-leopard-poster-wins-international-award/ http://window2nature.net/2011/11/22/lankas-leopard-poster-wins-international-award/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:47:28 +0000 Malaka Rodrigo http://window2nature.net/?p=1927 ]]> But tourists are less than satisfied with the overall safari experience – By Malaka Rodrigo A poster showing a pair of Sri Lanka leopards has been named Best Poster for the South Asia Region in an international competition. The poster was created and submitted by Sri Lanka Tourism for the Vettor Giusti Tourism Poster Competition, which is held once in two years to mark the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly sessions.

The winning posters will be on display in the entrance hall of the UNWTO building in Madrid, Spain. Sri Lanka Tourism has launched a campaign under the banner, “Refreshingly Sri Lanka”, leveraging on the country’s natural wealth and beauty. The content of the campaign falls into eight categories, based on the eight letters that spell “Sri Lanka.” As a tourism destination, the country can boast of a wide range of wildlife – from the leopard and the sloth bear to the elephant and the blue whale – all encompassed in a relatively small geographical area, the campaign points out.

Sri Lanka has the potential to become the “Wildlife Wonder of Asia” as long as the country’s tourism potential is properly tapped, say conservationists. Feedback from visitors suggest that this is not happening.

Answering a recent survey questionnaire, tourists said they were “satisfied” with the wildlife experience in game reserves in general, but not with the “overall experience.” They cited setbacks such as a lack of knowledgeable guides, congestion in parks, and negative behaviour by jeep drivers who disturbed animals. They also mentioned park infrastructure deficiencies, such as inadequate visitor centres and unclean toilets. All these factors, they said, prevented them from describing their visit to Sri Lanka as “memorable.”

Tourists mentioned popular national parks in other countries where visitor numbers and conduct within parks are monitored.

In India, many of the tiger reserves have a daily quota for vehicles permitted inside, and strict rules on the number of vehicles allowed per route. In game reserves in South Africa, only a limited number of safari jeeps are allowed for each wildlife sighting, and only one vehicle at a time is permitted at an observation point. In Ruwanda, a maximum eight visitors at a time are allowed to observe the rare Mountain Gorillas.

The fact that all these tours are always fully booked attests to visitor satisfaction with the arrangements. The “sustainable tourism” lobby in Sri Lanka would like to see Sri Lanka pitched as a high-end conservation tourism destination, while avoiding the pitfalls of mass tourism. This would be economically beneficial and protective of the wildlife within the wildlife parks, they say. The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau is working closely with conservationists to promote regulated, well-conducted wildlife tourism.

Vipula Wanigasekera, acting director-general of Sri Lanka Tourism, told the Sunday Times that research was being done to determine visitor capacity for Yala National Park, and that an action plan was being drawn up.

As a first step, Sri Lanka Tourism and other animal welfare groups are training Yala trackers in game reserve best practices, as observed in other tourism-dedicated countries. Activists say the Department of Wildlife Conservation needs to boost its resources and beef up its numbers in order to manage visitors. More trained guides are urgently needed, they say.

Published on SundayTimes on 20.11.2011 www.sundaytimes.lk/111120/News/nws_16.html
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