Footpath at Sinharaja, blown out of proportion

By Dhaneshi YATAWARA

Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa Charitha Herath

Sandwiched between the need of villagers and biodiversity conservation, the road construction near the Sinharaja Forest reserve has become a hot topic of the local environment circle. “We are ready to have discussion with genuine environmentalists and conservationists, yet we are cautious not to give any chance to ‘Environment terrorism’, Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said in an interview with Sunday Observer.

The Minister said it is also a duty of a responsible Government to upgrade the living standards of the people. Following are the excerpts of the interview with Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa.

Q: What is the current situation of the investigation you have instructed to start on the road construction in Sinharaja?

A: The story which goes around saying that there is a road constructed inside the Sinharaja Forest reserve is totally false.

According to the information we have received what had happened was that a foot path the villagers have used for nearly a century has been upgraded. This is not a new road. Opposing environment concerned parties continue to state it is a road constructed inside the Sinharaja Forest reserve.

This problem cropped up when the expansion and development work started on this footpath that was already there and people were using it for generations. The footpath was through an old abandoned estate which is under the Land Reclamation Commission. Part of the estate has been under cardamom cultivation and another part with tea and a part has been just a thicket.

Today, abandoned for years, the entire land is overgrown with forest. Considering all these factors we have appointed a team of experts to investigate into the issue and they are already at the site gathering information and evaluating the present situation.

Q: Why wasn’t the Environment Ministry informed about the road construction close to Sinharaja?

A: There is no need. If the road construction is not in the Sinharaja reserve there is no need for the Environment Ministry to intervene.

We cannot obstruct expansion of a road in the village area. Part of this road has been earlier registered under the Pradeshiya Sabha according to the information we gathered. So the area the road development taking place does not come under our control.

Q: Apart from the Sinharaja many environment issues are questioned and criticised by environmentalists and conservationists. How do you see this situations?

A: We are ready to have discussion with genuine environmentalists and conservationists yet we are cautious not to give any chance to ‘Environment terrorism’ that would damage the country’s reputation and the national development drive. The entire world is driving towards sustainable development.

We cannot tell people to live without any development. I do agree returning to a simple lifestyle is more environment friendly. But can we stop people from embracing the development trends in the world? As a responsible Government it is our duty to upgrade the living standards of the people of the country. On the other hand, constitution itself states environment protection laws.

The paragraph 14 of article 27 in the Chapter 6 of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has declared that “the State shall protect, preserve and improve the environment for the benefit of the community” indicating the highest priority that the country’s legislature has given to the environmental issues.

Q: What is happening at the Knuckles Mountain Range? What is this accusation of approval being granted to cutdown trees in an estate near the Knuckles?

A: There is no approval given from the Central Environment Authority to cut trees in this area. The Government does plant trees specifically to cut down on maturity in order to get timber.

These do not belong to the forests. Those are planted to supply the timber requirement.

There are standards and criteria to adhere when cutting down trees on Government lands and estates. There is separate Management Committee in the Plantation Services Ministry and this committee needs to approve this action first.

Then the approved request should be sent to the Central Environment Authority under the Ministry of Environment for evaluation and further approval. So it is a tedious process.

Meanwhile the Chairman of the Central Environment Authority Charitha Herath –said that under the Environment Minister’s instructions, the Central Environment Authority jointly with the Department of Forest Conservation has sent an expert team to investigate and reveal the truth.

Herath said that they are looking in to all the aspects in this subject including the bio diversity conservation as well as the requirement of the villagers. “ The Environment Minister would finally give the solution based on the findings and evaluations the expert team would forward,” Herath said.

Following are the excerpts of the interview:

Q: What is the present situation of the investigation?

A: The expert team is currently gathering field information which includes bio diversity factors as well as the requirement of an access road to the villages.

The team consists of experts on biodiversity and forest conservation and related subjects who are university academics and CEA and Forest Conservation officials. His is to cover both the environment aspect as well the villagers’ requirements.

Q: How would you come to a conclusion following the investigation?

A: Based on the final revelations of the investigation would lead us to decide whether and to what extent the road expansion will effect the biodiversity of the area and whether the road upgrade could be done without damaging the environment.

The Environment Minister would finally give the solution based on the findings and evaluations the expert team would forward.

Q: Even the UNESCO requested a report on this road construction near the Sinharaja Forest reserve. How would be the Sri Lankan response to this? What is your comment on this issue?

A:The report is under preparation. It will be completed soon. We will respond very clearly as there is nothing to hide.

As I see, in this post conflict era we see a trend among certain parties to raise even the most negligible minute issues linking to environmentally sensitive areas and subjects.

These so called concerned parties would report even these minute issues exaggerating them to world organisations like the UNESCO. In return they will question us as responsible authorities of the country.

So rather being concerned over most needed situations and issues in the country we have to continue preparing replies to these organisation.

As Government authorities we cannot ignore their requests for explanations.

Actually the strategy of carrying tales to the international community existed even when the Government was on the humanitarian mission to save the innocent Sri Lankans from the iron clutches of the terrorists. Several groups and elements who live in this country used negatively criticising the peace building process of Sri Lanka as their mode of income.

Today, there are numerous organisations across the globe funding environment conservation and the more one fabricate a negative story would increase the amount of foreign currencies that would flow in to their accounts.

We can be concerned of genuine people who come up with constructive criticism over Sri Lankan issues but listening to the above mentioned groups with hidden agenda is a waste of time and resources of the country.

Q: There are several other key issues environmentalists question and pointing the responsibility to the Government. How do yo see this new situation?

A: Environment has become quite a highlighted issue in this post–conflict era. And another issue such groups raise is the story of timber felling in the estates in the vicinity of the Knuckles Mountain range.

According to these accusations nearly 74,000 trees are cut down on approval.

When I questioned and looked in to the matter there has not been an approval issued.

It was proved to be an utter falsehood and these so called environment groups are spreading the story like wildfire.

While protecting our precious nature we cannot hinder the national development drive.

In the present situation of the country there is no need to destroy environment in the name of development and surely there is no such intention with the Government.

We consider our rich bio diversity and the versatile environment as national assets, as precious gems, and by destroying them as many groups accuse pointing at the Government, what do we gain at the end?

The true benefit could only be gained by protecting them and the national development drive works keeping this in mind.