By Nirmala Kannangara Speculation has arisen regarding the Defence Ministry’s legal authority to “give away” lands within the Somawathiya National Park to a private company for banana cultivation. The Defence Ministry and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in particular have come under severe criticism for giving away 11,600 acres of land from the Somawathiya National [...]
By Nirmala Kannangara Environmentalists and elephant enthusiasts have come up strongly against the National Zoological Gardens and the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage for giving away elephants to ruling party politicians and their stooges. Sources from the National Zoological Gardens (NZG) confirmed to The Sunday Leader that five elephants from the best breeds have been given away [...]
By Nirmala Kannangara The number of tame elephants in the country has declined from 500 to 100 over the past 40 years, claimed Managing Trustee of the Bio Diversity and Elephant Conservation Trust and Member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group, Jayantha Jayawardena. As a result of this steady decline, it has become a jumbo [...]
By Gazala Anver Photo By Sanjeewa Kaviratne UNP Central Province Chancellor, Sanjeewa Kaviratne, alleges that an area of 10 acres has been cleared in Knuckles, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for the construction of a hotel. The land, which initially belonged to the Land Reform Commission, was transferred to the Forest Department in 1994. Kaviratne [...]
By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema The construction of a hotel in the Sinharaja forest reserve has irked environmentalists who claim that authorities continue to turn a blind eye to the destruction of one of the world’s primary forests. The hotel project which commenced in 2009 and stopped briefly has re-commenced construction. The Rainforest Ecolodge Hotel Project [...]
By Gazala Anver The Chairman of the Central Environment Authority (CEA), Charitha Herath, said that the CEA needs to address many issues, including the wrongs committed by the Mahaweli Authority (MA) with regard to the unlicensed Warathenna Hydro Power Project. Legal action will be taken against the project proponents, Asia Hydro Power Generation Private [...]
By Nirmala Kannangara Although this arrangement came to a halt a few months ago due to pressure from environmentalists in the country, speculation is now rife as to whether these plans would be finally implemented since efforts are being made to amend the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance. “What is the reason to amend the [...]
By Raisa Wickrematunge From honeybees to electric fences, the methods villagers use to fend off hungry elephants have been legion. Up until recently, however, there was no definitive solution for the ongoing human elephant ‘conflict.’ However, the government has officially announced that a plan has been compiled, with the help of several experts. Plan One [...]
By Abdul H. Azeez 10 people have died in the recent spate of bad weather that took the country, for want of a better phrase, by storm. Six of them were killed by lightning while four died of other causes. All the deaths were reported after September 20. Media representative for the Disaster Management Center, [...]
By Raisa Wickrematunge Despite the central highlands of Sri Lanka recently being named a World Natural Heritage Site, Sri Lanka had to persuade international authorities to consider the nominated area, following reservations expressed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Deputy Minister for Environment, Faiszer Mustapha explained that the IUCN expressed reservations [...]
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