Disturbing Sinharaja’s natural  balance: a layperson’s viewpoint

by Gnana Moonesinghe

This is written as a tribute to my friend Dr Upen de Zylva who passed away a few days ago and who throughout his life had an abiding interest in nature – in all things related to flora and fauna. He was greatly disturbed by the human invasion into the natural habitat of heritage sites such as the Sinharaja forest reserve.

There have lately been several references to elephant attacks and those of other wild animals such as packs of wild fox on villagers as well as the unpredictable climate changes   making life difficult in the rural countryside. In long gone times, though within the recall of older people,  nature played out her course unhampered by human interference.  

The recent revival of interest  in  eco balance  in  Sri Lanka arose as a consequence of the government’s move to construct a  road through the Sinharaja  Forest Reserve. Back in 2013 the then Government began to construct a road inside the protected area. This was short lived consequent to legal action by the Centre for Environmental and Nature Protection.  However, in August 2020 the project was recommenced by the newly installed government and the construction assigned to the military.   Environmentalists and lay people  are greatly disturbed by this project which entails the movement of heavy machinery and the felling of trees within the Reserve for construction of the road which would both disturb the environment.  

The unique position of the Sinharaja is that UNESCO  has declared it to be the ‘last viable primary rain forest’ here while it is also referred to as the ‘icon of biodiversity conservation’ in Sri Lanka. The Sinharaja forest is located in the south west in the district of Sabaragamuwa and the Southern Province. Around 60% of the trees found here are endemic and many of them are considered rare. Many species of wildlife is endemic to this place. It gains its unique position among forest reserves as it is home to over half of Sri Lanka’s endemic species of mammals and butterflies and many kinds of insects, reptiles and amphibians. Many endangered and rare species are found here including leopard, Indian elephant, endemic purple faced langur, wood pigeon, green billed coucal, SL white headed starling, SL blue magpie, ash headed baller and SL’s broad  billed roller.

It is essential that encroachment of the forest for cultivation like tea plantations, settlements and disturbance to the environment due to road construction should not be permitted because it will affect its unique situation as a forest reserve. Does not this Reserve require protection from the authorities  in order to secure its bio diversity?

At present, the consternation is over the road  construction from Lankagama to Neluwa, expected to be completed in 90 days without ‘harming the environment.’ Is this a realistic expectation? Experts claim that there is no way that this road can be constructed  without disturbing much of the environment in the reserve. That it is necessary to preserve the biodiversity in the reserve for healthy development and for dealing with climate change is a given and beyond question.  The government should consider alternatives  to help those living on the fringe of the reserve without affecting its balance which benefits the entire region as well as the rest of the world. Is it possible or feasible to seek alternatives to support the villages already in the Reserve?

These issues are raised not on a confrontational note but to elicit information on what is considered a matter of great concern to the mass of people living in this country (and planet) for reasons I hope have been convincingly presented above. May the Right to Information Act be invoked to the maximum to elicit information on this invasive action that is popularly considered  a disturbance to the peace of the Reserve.  

We expect no less than a frank response from this popularly elected government which will clear the air between the UNESCO authorities and the Lankan government as well as respond to the numerous  rumors that are circulating at the moment.  An urgent response from the Presidential Secretariat is in order.