Features
Horana Plantations and WNPS PLANT building an ambitious nine km Forest Corridor
Horana Plantations and WNPS PLANT have just announced the launch of an exciting new conservation initiative in the hill country which hopes to build a nine-kilometer-long forest corridor along the Maskeliya Oya, creating 55 hectares of new forest in the process.
Agricultural expansion and intensive settlement pressures over years have resulted in many parts of the beautiful Maskeliya Oya having lost its natural tree cover on either bank. The Oya flows down from the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary for over 40 kilometers to become one of the major tributaries of the powerful Kelani River. The lack of forest cover on either side has also contributed to erosion, floods, and numerous other issues.
Intent on restoring and bringing back some of the lost foliage, the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) through their Preserving Land and Nature (PLANT) initiative, conceptualized a new initiative and have partnered with Horana Plantations PLC, part of the Hayleys Plantations group, and kicked off an ambitious new project. What makes this one special is that the teams hope to create over 55 hectares of totally new forest as they restore the sides of the Oya to create a nine-kilometer-long forest passage connected to the Peak Wilderness Reserve, which will, in future, enable species to move among larger forest patchers in an uninterrupted manner.
Critical services of Forest Passages which help Wildlife Survival
Enhanced Habitat for Small Species: Forest passages offer secure hiding places, reduce predation risks for small species, and ensure that water access and food availability are secured at times within these passages. They also help reduce road kills for such species.
Improved Breeding Grounds and Genetic Diversity: Forest passages facilitate better breeding grounds, connecting fragmented small species populations, and these pathways expand the species’ footprint and gene pool, thereby enhancing overall genetic diversity.
Mitigation of Human-Wildlife Conflicts for Large Species: Larger species, like Leopards, benefit from reduced confrontations by using forest passages and thereby avoiding populated estate patches and agricultural landscapes. Other smaller species like otters, lizards and snakes for example reduce the risk of being killed by dogs or cats or people, when they cross populated areas.
Addressing Environmental Issues in Sri Lanka: The reduction in passageways has increased conflicts significantly and this is particularly evident in the case of elephants. Unplanned and illegal deforestation leads to isolated forest patches, causing confrontations, species extinction and financial losses in many cases. Secondary impacts on agriculture, climate change, soil erosion, flooding, and landslides are well connected with the root causes of habitat destruction.
Preservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health: Forest passages can counter unplanned deforestation, preserving biodiversity through undisturbed pathways, and hence contributing to overall ecosystem health. Many endemic floras are fighting extinction in many parts of Sri Lanka. Green pathways can reduce Environmental temperature levels and improve air quality, and many cities too are looking at narrow green corridors as the next evolution for modern city living.
PLANT has a vision to build multiple linking foliage corridors to connect key protected forested areas in the South-Western part of Sri Lanka, where the nation’s highest biodiversity exists. Pioneering the notion of creating private conservation spaces with a scalable plan in mind, it hopes to help ease this tension and increase species survival. PLANT has been making waves by bringing over 2500 acres of private land under a conservation umbrella within three years (www.plantsl.org ), and PLANT conservation areas already protect several Critically Endangered species in over 20 locations. These include Deniyaya, Belihul Oya, Deraniyagala, Pannila, Ella, Koslanda, Bulathsinhala and more, either through partner-owned lands or ones which have been directly purchased by the society.
Hayleys Plantations being one of Sri Lanka’s most progressive plantation groups, signed a MOU with PLANT in January 2023 and in this case, is allocating the land on either side of the Maskeliya Oya through five of their estates, namely Fairlawn, Gouravilla, Mahanilu, Alton and Stockholm, to facilitate the recreation of a green passage. The project is unique, ambitious and challenging. There are settlements in close proximity in many cases, residents clear the side banks for leaves and grass for cattle fodder, the weather is disruptive, and the relatively slow pace at which montane plants progress will make it a long journey for the team. A massive awareness creation exercise is needed, estates need to release some parts of their agricultural lands, and many communities need to be engaged. But Hayleys are leading by example and hopefully more estates will take note.
The project was recently initiated in Maskeliya amidst participation from the leadership of Horana Plantations led by Mr. Wasantha Gunawardene, the WNPS and PLANT representatives, led by President Jehan CanagaRetna, and local communities who will play a key role as the project moves forward. Many community representatives engaged in tree planting on the occasion. The boundaries and the GPS mapping of the entire project had previously been done by both teams.
Over 4,000 specialist montane plants have already been put to ground in the first few weeks but that is just scratching the surface. Given the magnitude of this undertaking, additional Partners have also been enlisted in this important task. Joining the launch were representatives of Teejay Lanka PLC who will fund one of the five legs of reforestation. Midaya Ceramics are also a notable financial contributor. PLANT is very grateful to have strong partnerships and applauds all those who strive to make our wonderful island greener and more interlinked for the future. The projects have oversight from leading naturalists and scientists, and that guidance becomes the cornerstone of all the work done.
Several nurseries have also been established for the continued supply of montane plants which are not easily obtainable in such magnitudes. It has been determined that each plant will require protective coverage to battle the obstacles it faces, even though that puts immense financial pressure on the project. Baseline biodiversity studies will also be conducted as part of the regular methodology that PLANT applies for all their conservation locations.
Speaking at the initiative, Chairman of PLANT, Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne said “Ecosystem restoration is difficult but extremely powerful. This is a big step forward in our pioneering vision of orchestrating the private sector to create new reservations for conservation. We are delighted to see different stakeholders coming together and we are acutely aware of the challenges in building new forest passages as opposed to only helping protect existing ones.
But in the face of not just the economic but the environmental bankruptcy that we see around us, Sri Lanka will need many such corridors and we plan to pursue that mission in a steadfast manner.. I sincerely thank Hayleys and our partners and our teams on ground for their phenomenal commitment and passion”.
Commenting on the ambition, Director/Chief Executive Officer of Horana Plantations PLC, Johann Rodrigo said “Being custodians of such large land footprints in Sri Lanka, we feel it is mandatory that we take on greater responsibilities in helping address the conservation challenges being faced. Our commitment is evidenced in our willingness to even set aside some current plantation spaces to facilitate such corridors, as we know we share these precious spaces with many species. We value the great work being done by WNPS PLANT and hope to keep accelerating similar initiatives across more locations”.
“At the Institute of Chartered Accountants TAGS Awards in December 2023, which showcases excellence in corporate reporting with Transparency, Accountability, Governance, and Sustainability being paramount, Hayleys walked away with the coveted gold award among 14 more top awards that it picked up, including a clean sweep in the Plantations sector.
Hayleys Plantations has been leading on many fronts when it comes to Sustainability and Conservation and this project is yet another groundbreaker which demonstrates our passion” said Hayleys Plantations Group Managing Director, Roshan Rajadurai.
WNPS President Jehan says “Visionary Plantation companies like Hayleys can play a transformative role in helping us rebalance our montane landscapes. WNPS is very active in the hills and leading the education of communities on issues such as Leopard conflict, deforestation, climate change and the role of communities. Horana Plantations has already begun conservation work with us on multiple locations, but this will undoubtedly be one of our joint flagships.
Given the rich, long WNPS history, we want to work on sustainable longer-term initiatives with impactful outcomes, and this is a great example of such thinking. I want to thank and congratulate the teams for their bold determination”.
WNPS PLANT is supported by several local and international donors including many private individuals whose commitment towards reforesting Sri Lanka is exemplary. Within them, Hayleys Plantations are the single largest partner. WNPS has been already active in combating illegal snares, poaching, and leopard interaction management in the hills.
PLANT has plans for more such forest corridors depending on donor fund availability, and is keenly exploring and seeking new partnerships and localities. Climate Change is real, but so is fighting back to rebalance our world – one tree, one acre, and one forest passage at a time. In Sri Lanka, with the help of many committed partners, WNPS is dreaming big and leading that charge through PLANT.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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