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Environmentalists concerned over destruction of Galgamuwa forest lands
Belonging to ancient Nakolagane and Thorawamayilawa Viharayas
by Ifham Nizam
Forest lands belonging to two ancient temples in Galgamuwa are being destroyed to make way for large-scale agricultural projects, despite opposition from the Chief Incumbent of temple, environmentalists said.
Chief priest of Nakolagane Rajamaha Vihara, Ven. Rahula Thera, said that of the two thousand acres owned by the temple, one thousand acres have already been encroached.
“Despite repeated complaints, nothing has been done. We have now decided to use 67 acres of neglected paddy fields to grow traditional rice varieties”, he said.
Forest lands coming under the Nakolagane Rajamaha Viharaya and Thorawamayilawa Rajamaha Viharaya are being destroyed using bulldozers, forest officers said.
The forest lands in the catchment of the Palukadawala reservoir belonging to the Nakolagane Rajamaha Viharaya is a key elephant home range in the area and forest lands around the Thorawamayilawa Rajamaha Viharaya act as a corridor for elephants to move from Thabbowa and Galgamuwa to Inginimitiya, elephant expert, Supun Lahiru Prakash said.
He said more than 60 per cent of free range elephants in Northwestern wildlife administrative region live outside the protected areas and they use the forest patches for their survival and moving paths.
Therefore, he believes it is essential to protect such forests to mitigate the human- elephant conflict and for the conservation of elephants in the area.
Thabbowa and Kahalla-Pallekele are the only two protected areas in the region administrated by the Department of Wildlife Conservation. Many attempts were made earlier to drive the elephants into the protected areas. However, the mission has so far not been successful.
The National Human-Elephant Conflict Mitigation Action Plan also emphasizes the importance of protecting the elephant home range outside the protected areas for long-term conservation of the jumbos and mitigation of the human-elephant conflict.
“If necessary steps are not taken to protect the forest areas, where elephants have lived for a long time, they wouldn’t have an alternative other than to invade villages”, he said.
Without solving the problem sustainably, the government plans to drive the elephants to the Wilpattu National Park as discussed at a recent ‘Gama Samaga Pilisandara’ in Karuwalagaswewa. If this happens, it will again lead to an escalation of the problem and also affect conservation efforts, a senior official warned.
All previous attempts to drive elephants living outside the protected areas completely failed. It was repeated in North Western wildlife administrative region as well. There were also many attempts to drive the elephants to Thabbowa and Kahalla-Pallekele sanctuaries and Wilpattu National Park over the past decades, he noted.
However, still the majority of elephants remain outside the protected areas. The Department of Wildlife Conservation had taken a policy decision to discontinue large-scale elephant drives after considering issues raised following the relocation of more than 300 elephants from Walawa left bank area to Lunugamvehera National Park in 2006.
The animals have been chased away for long distances and many elephant calves died on the way due to lack of water and exhaustion. The herds restricted to fenced up protected areas also face difficulties after the drives and starve to death as the result. The elephant population living within the protected areas are also affected as they have to compete with the ‘new comers’ for food. Therefore, it has adversely affected elephant conservation efforts in Sri Lanka, Prakash explained.
Adults males are difficult to drive away as they escape. Later, they return to the same locations and continue to harm lives and damage property. Furthermore, young males in herds who faced repeated drives adopt to human pressures such as fire, loud noises, crackers and even gunshots and become more aggressive towards humans resulting in the conflict escalating, he added.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
