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Environmentalists welcome gazette on Hambantota Managed Elephant Reserve
By Ifham Nizam
The government’s initiative to gazette the much-discussed Hambantota Managed Elephant Reserve (MER) was lauded by environmentalists, who described the move as an important step to protect wildlife.
The government gazetted the Hambantota MER after a decade-long struggle to which the contribution of farmers’ organizations in Walsapugala helped in a big way to produce a positive outcome, researcher Supun Lahiru Prakash said.
He said the question of certain encroached areas being excluded in the gazette, and other processes needed to be worked out.
“There is an issue over the size of the gazetted MER in comparison with the size of the MER proposed in the Greater Hambantota Development Plan 2009. The gazette process of the MER could also be problematic. Removing the encroached lands from the MER and making them suitable for elephants is another challenge that the government has to deal with,” he stressed.
Around 70 per cent of elephant home ranges in Sri Lanka are outside protected areas. However, the authorities try to drive elephants into protected areas and fence them in order to mitigate the HEC, he further said.
The HEC escalation during the past decades clearly show that the method is completely unsuccessful. This attempt leads to increased aggression of elephants towards humans. Ultimately, Sri Lanka will end up as the country with the highest number of elephant deaths and the second highest in human deaths in the world, says Prakash, a researcher of the elephant studies in Sri Lanka.
“Elephants have a strong bond with their home ranges and it is not possible to remove them from their traditional grounds. If we try to do so through drives, only herds consisting of females and the young will be moved out, which will result in the remaining males continuing to cause trouble”, he explained.
This clearly shows that HEC mitigation does not help. On the other hand, herds driven to protected areas suffer due to lack of resources and die of starvation. This also reflects negatively on elephant conservation. That was why the MER concept was introduced to protect elephant home ranges outside the protected areas,” he noted.
The MER connects Udawalawa, Lunugamvehera and Bundala National Parks which are home to around 450 elephants. The idea was proposed in 2009 under the Gajamithuro Program launched by the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
Subsequently, the proposal was approved in 2012 at the Gajamithuro District Committee meeting. However, as there was no progress on the project since then, three elephant corridors were identified, but they have now been disrupted due to human activities, a department official said.
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
