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| Sunday, 02 March 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Jak for environmental conservation by Vimukthi Fernando Jak is a valuable tree which fed thousands in the past. It was the staple as well as the supplement of many a Sri Lankan household. Sri Lankans continually benefit from its food, medicinal and timber values.
And now, stepping ahead, jak had made a major comeback and takes to the front lines of environmental conservation. Under the Upper Watershed Management Project of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources over 112,000 jak saplings have been planted in the upper watershed areas of Balangoda and Ratnapura last year. "The saplings have been planted in the buffer zones, timber farms and stream reservations of the project" explained .... Munaweera, Director, UWMP. More saplings have been planted under the programmes on home gardening and enhancing the environments of public areas and roadsides. Journalists who were invited on an inspection tour to find out the progress of tree planting programmes carried out by the project visited timber farms, buffer zones and stream reservations of Balangoda. During 2002, the UWMP had planted 2,200 hectares of buffer zone out of the project target of 4,000 ha, 150 out of 2000 ha of timber farming and 550 km of stream reservation exceeding its target of 150 km. 16,000 ha. of home gardening was carried out as against the target of 15,000 ha. The project enhances these locations by planting jak saplings along with other native and timber saplings. While the number of jak saplings is counted at 112,000 the project "planted three times more native and timber saplings, along with jak" said Munaweera. Last week, the project also initiated planting a 200 acre jak farm, for timber purposes in land donated by the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, with the support of the Department of Forestry. This would help overcome the timber shortages in Sri Lanka, he added.
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