News
World Bank under fire for backing project to reap short-term profit at the expense of forests
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Some Forest Conservation Department officials are more interested in building roads and structures inside protected areas than protecting forests, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reforms (MONLAR) says.
“These officials are not interested in preventing illegal activities inside protected areas or raising the awareness of those who live near these areas, especially around Sinharaja Forest”, he said.
Ecosystem Conservation and Management Project (ESCAMP), a World Bank mission was a case in point, Chamikara said, alleging that it sought to develop forests as tourism centres.
“During the first part of the ESCAMP, forest conservation, officials developed roads at the Kudawa entrance. They constructed a two-kilometre road with a width of 10 feet, through Sinharaja. They even put waterlines in. A large number of freshwater crabs and amphibians lost their habitats and breeding grounds because of these constructions. We don’t see some animals like the Kangaroo lizard and the Sri Lankan green pit viper in that area anymore”, he said.
Chamikara added that the roads constructed under ESCAMP could not even be used by tourists anymore because they were slippery. At certain times forest conservation officials allow vehicles on these roads. “There are earth slips along the road and further constructions have been made to stop this”, he said.
Despite the failure of the first leg of the ESCAMP project, forest conservation officials were trying to build an eight-foot road from another entrance in the Kudawa area to the research centre in the forest, Chamikara said.He said that the proposed road would go through an area that had a lot of ferns and a number of indigenous species.
“There are also many small and micro species in this area as well. We will lose them. When swaths of forests are cleared a number of invasive species find their way into Sinharaja. Plants like Koster’s Curse (Dillenia suffruticosa) have already invaded Sinharaja. Endemic orchids, ferns, moss and many plants in the forest undergrowth have been run over. This also affects animals that depend on these plants. Sinharaja is a very sensitive and interconnected biological hotspot. Change made in one place will affect the entire system,” Chamikara said.
Chamikara said that a similar set of incidents had taken place in the Knuckles Forest Range and a number of endemic species to Knuckles were now slowly becoming extinct. “The World Bank projects like ESCAMP are aimed at short-term profit over long term sustainability,” he said.
“We are not against tourism, which is a vital source of revenue. However, you need to build tourist accommodation outside forests. Extremely sensitive forest areas must not be opened to tourists. We talk a lot about attracting quality tourists who spend a lot of money. There are tourists who spend thousands of dollars a night on nature tourism, but such individuals also like nature. They won’t come into a place where their patronage will lead to environmental destruction”, Chamikara said, adding that Sri Lanka was a party to many UN biodiversity conventions. “Successive governments talk about achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the entire state mechanism is silent when large swaths of highly important forests, catchment areas and biological hot spots are destroyed to create an access way for tourism.
“Soon these access ways will be used by politicians to build hotels inside Sinharaja. We already see that those who embezzled billions of rupees from the people are now spending these moneys to purchase and renovate hotels in highly sensitive environmental areas.”
Chamikara said that the threat to Sinharaja had been increasing in the past few years. In 2020 and 2021, two circulars had been issued by the government, handing over the management of Other State Forests (OSF) to Divisional/District Secretaries, he said.
“These circulars repealed an earlier circular, 05/2001, which had transferred the management of these lands from the Divisional/District Secretaries to the Forest Department. Through circular 1/2020, the OSF were brought under Divisional/Districts Secretaries and circular 1/2021 allowed the officials to survey the OSF and allocate them for development activities. The power these two circulars granted to Divisional/Districts Secretaries has been used by those with political and financial power to clear up forest lands in Sinharaja,” he said.
Minister of Agriculture, Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation, Mahinda Amaraweera said that he was not aware of this development and would look into it.
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.
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