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| Sunday, 4 December 2005 |
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Far - sighted land-use policy, cause of secondary rainforest by Sunil Wimalasuriya The following data was compiled and presented to the Environment and Natural Resources Minister Maitripala Sirisena by the owner of Bangamukande Estate, Pitigala in Galle District, Sunil Wimalasuriya. The compilation was from a book 'Resurrecting Razed Rainforests', authored by the latter to be released soon, is for the President, to be considered in the 2006 Budget. Vast extents of Sri Lanka's bio-diverse lands that were transferred into mono crop plantations during the colonial era, are regenerating in many places due to various natural and man made reasons. Here is an example of a 40 acre plantation land that has been deliberately turnaround to a 'Secondary Rainforest' as a direct result of the far sighted, land use policy of the 1970 -1977 Govt. which introduced crop diversification of uneconomic tea lands. Although the present owner continued and expanded the project, intending to commercially exploit the timber, the proliferation of bio-diversity in a very short time, and global ecological events has resulted in a change of strategy, as the benefits derived through conservation of this regenerated rainforest far out weigh the profit that would otherwise be derived by intrinsic commercial harvesting methods. Already 25 land owners from the area have indicated their willingness to replicate this model, as such authorities should take sharp note of the importance of involving private property owners in the Government's Sustainable Economic Development plan and mobilize those willing to transfer their lands to bio-habitats on a priority basis. As an immediate inducement, a subsidy scheme should be declared, with a suitable monitoring mechanism in place and the expected financial benefits to the land owners be clearly elaborated to encourage them. Bangamukande Estate, (BKE) Pitigala, Galle district, located at 6' 20" N - 80' 16" E at an elevation of from 400 ft to 1000 ft above msl, was a self sufficient village of 80 families 110 years ago, cholera or dysentery resulted in the majority of inhabitants to die, and the remainder abandoned the village. Survivors sold their lands to a plumbago miner who resold. In 1904 agricultural mono crops such as cinnamon, rubber and tea were planted by ancestors of the present owner. This practice was changed in 1973 and a 5 acre tea field was transferred to forest land using a govt. subsidy under, crop diversification of uneconomic tea lands. 11 acres of cinnamon were allowed to regenerate to forest land from 1986. The remaining rubber field of 15 acres is presently been allowed to regenerate into forestland while been cropped. A long term scientific data gathering of the bio-diversity of this regenerating forest was undertaken in Sept. 2002, by post graduates of the Ruhuna University and Oxford Brooks University 'Nocturnal Primate Research Group' UK. The data gathered from 2 scientific surveys has unraveled an unimaginable proliferation of bio-diversity both floral and faunal at BKE, in a very limited area and quickly. This locality is within the environmentally sensitive area of southwest Sri Lanka's wet zone which has been classified as one of only 11 bio-diverse hyper-hotspots of the world (Brooks et al 2001). The floral and faunal bio-diversity assessment at BKE based on the Msc. thesis of Lilia Bernade 2003, and the preliminary report for a BSc degree by Robert Davis 2004, has together recorded the presence of 197 plant species (63 endemic), 17 fresh water fish species(11 endemic), 19 amphibian species(12 endemic), 31 reptile species(17 endemic), 16 mammal species(6 endemic), 92 bird species(16 endemic), out of these species the following list are, endangered - 3 mammals 5 birds, vulnerable - 4 mammals 5 birds, globally threatened - 1 reptile 1 bird, nationally threatened - 3 reptiles, highly threatened - 1 reptile. New sub species discovered, - 1 primate (red slender loris), 3 amphibians (tree frogs).-(Bernede,2003; Davis,2004; ASP bulletin, june 2004) The wealth of bio-diversity already recorded at BKE is high, some of these are rare, endemic and threatened. 75 species of plants recorded are used for medicinal purposes, although the forest fragment is relatively small it provides a resourceful and safe haven for over 140 species of fauna (recorded up to Sept. 2004 from 3 surveys, with a total added period of 6 months, many reptile and amphibian species could not be identified ) the number is going to be much higher as we continue. Most of the privately owned forest fragments such as BKE also serve as temporary refuge for many other terrestrial mammals and birds, while they move from one forest patch to another. The conservation of small forest fragments usually privately owned such as BKE, is urgently required as these fragments contain a vast majority of Sri Lanka's bio-diversity. In addition the regeneration of rain forest largely depends on the persistence of pollinators and seed disperses ( Cowlishaw & Dunbar, 2000). Numerous authors (Chapman & Onderdonk, 1988:, Chapman 1995) have argued that frugivorous primates may be among the most important seed disperses in tropical forests and suggest that maintenance of primate populations is critical for the regeneration of tropical forests. This would make a good argument for use of both purple faced monkey and giant squirrel as flagship species, thus providing another potential conservation strategy for the small populations of these primates at BKE and their habitat, by showing the vital role they play as seed disperses and pollinators. This calls for immediate action on the part of policy makers, authorities and politicians to enforce the law vigorously to protect all state owned forests patches, and to survey and document the bio-diversity, to safeguard the survival of species, especially those that are endemic, threatened and vulnerable, as these 'gene banks' are going to be the most valuable natural resource we can leave for the future of our country's prosperity. Mahinda Chintana, the policy statement for the immediate future mentions on page 8 in the English version, A LAND IN HARMONY WITH NATURE, A Sustainable Policy for Environmental Conservation, 2nd para- quote- 'My aim is to promote sustainable development in close liaison with the land , fauna and flora, and to bestow our natural heritage to our future generations'- unquote. I expect that you would take note of the significant observations made at BKE vis. the proliferation of bio diversity in a short period of time, which is of global importance to ecology and include some of the recommendations in the budget to be presented on the December 8, 2005 as we seem to be on identical view's regarding ecology. |
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