Rape of Sinharaja  continues as demarcated buffer zone not acquired

There were vast extents of land belonging to the Land Reform Commission (LRC) adjacent to the Sinharaja National Heritage Wilderness Area, and some of it had been cleared to plant tea, environmentalist Sajeewa Chamikara alleged yesterday.

Speaking about threats to Sinharaja, he told The Island that realising it the then Cabinet had decided, on August 04, 2004, to acquire and connect a 500 metre buffer zone to the Sinharaja forest. “That decision was taken as the LRC, under which most of the lands fell, had been releasing large tracts of land to hoteliers, plantation companies and other investors, thus jeopardising the future of the world heritage site.” Such action had led to the loss of habitat of endemic species and catchment forests, he said.

“It was expected to acquire 2,490 hectares for forest land. These forests were Murakele estate (50.4 hectares,) Fab Estate (181.3 hectares,) Ilumbakanda estate (567 hectares,) Morning Side estate (55.4 hectares,) canter estate (130 hectares,) Gaze estate (137.5 hectares,) Gonhela estate (137.9 hectares,) Ebaros estate (35.4 hectares,) Bakware estate (109.9 hectares,) Kondurugala estate (99 hectares) and Dambahena estate (8.6 hectares) of Ratnapura District; Enasal estate (436 hectares,) Kurugala estate (188 hectares,) Beverly estate (28 hectares) and Hemagiri estate (40 hectares) in Matara District and Homadola estate (304 hectares) in Galle District. These are lands that were released to various plantation companies by the LRC.”

Although the Cabinet had approved the acquiring of those lands, the Forest Conservation Department had not been able to do so for 16 years and that had led to the expansion of tea and Cardamom plantations at the expense of the rainforest, Chamikara said.

The environmental minister of the previous government, former President Maithripala Sirisena, gazetted the annexation of 13 proposed forest reserves to the Sinharaja National Heritage Wilderness Area. With that the total land area of the Sinharaja National Heritage Wilderness Area was to increase to 30, 000 hectares.

“This permitted the absorption of the proposed Ayagama, Delgoda, Dellawa, Delmella-Yatagampitiya, Diyadawa, Kobahadukanda, Morapitiya-Runakanda-Neluketiya Mukalana, Warathalgoda, Silverkanda, Handapanella, Gongala and Paragala reserves to the Sinharaja National Heritage Wilderness Area. Although Sirisena signed the gazette almost a year ago, it still hasn’t been published,” Chamikara said.

The environmentalist added that although former President Maithripala Sirisena had signed the gazette over a year back, it not been published and regional politicians and their business partners were planning to use the LRC lands adjoining the Sinharaja to widen roads to facilitate the expansion of tea plantations and hotels. The people who live around Sinharaja, who had been promised improved facilities, were being misled by those elements, Chamikara said.