Chena cultivation to be regulated - Minister Anura Yapa

By Dhaneshi YATAWARA

The North of the Ruhuna National Park in Buttala was a hot topic in the Moneragala district became a key news in the environment conservation sphere.

Since 1947 many parts of these forest areas have been under chena cultivation, according to the Department of Forest Conservation. Though chena cultivation is prohibited in reserved forest areas the Department of Forest Conservation plans to issue permits for village farmers to continue chena cultivation for a year.

Currently Chena cultivation is illegal, but it is found mostly in lands under the Forest Conservation Department. Chena lands, support very high densities of elephants, as the chena cultivation creates and maintains conditions ideal for wild elephants by providing a habitat with a high volume of food.

Chenas are only cultivated in the wet season. After harvesting the crops chenas are left fallow in the dry season. After a few years of such cycles the chena is abandoned for a few years. Left food-crops of the chena grow rapidly in fallow chenas in the dry season. These plants are very important source of food for elephants and consequently chena lands support very high densities of elephants. Therefore, chena lands are of great importance for maintaining large numbers of elephants and represent human-elephant co-existence.

Such areas should be administered as Managed Elephant Ranges where people will gain economic benefits linked to elephant conservation, compensation and protection from elephant damages cause. This does not promote the expansion of chena cultivation as conversion of forest to chena lands. It is focusing on preserving chena practices where it currently occurs and prevent chena areas becoming permanent settlements and cultivations.

"We will determine which forest areas where chena cultivation should continue and how much area should be allocated for the cultivation," Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said. The same situation prevails in Buttala where it is alleged that a local politician is misusing a forest land as mentioned in many media reports. "Yet according to the report by the Forest officers of the area the Forest Department has not given any forest lands to anyone in that area. Unless land is given legally no one can construct anything in the forest reserves," Minister Yapa explained.

At further investigations it was revealed that this particular land in Buttala has been transferred to an individual by the Divisional Secretary in 2009 under the Land Development Ordinance. These regulations have changed and according to the new regulations I have instructed the forest officials to take the matter to courts," Yapa said.

There is a standard procedure to transfer Government lands to private individuals and the Environment Ministry has strictly taken these procedures and all information have been properly documented," Minister explained.

As the official of the Forest Department explained the area that has raised concern has been having a coconut cultivation that has been periodically damaged by wild animals. Accordingly it is being cultivated as a chena by a villager. "The village, descending from a family that settled down in Gal Oya in 1952 have started cultivating this land since 1990-1992. Periodically they have been cultivating the land but for several years have abandoned it due to terrorist threats. When peace prevailed they have resumed cultivation," said Deputy Forest Conservator Nishantha Edirisinghe explaining the situation to the media.

As the officer said the farmer has set up an electric fence with a low voltage. When any object touches the fence the system indicates it by lighting a bulb in their temporary shelter (pela) in the chena. The farmer uses fire crackers to chase away the elephants. With this once-a-year chena cultivation the farmer has told the Forest officers that he gets nearly income of Rs. 100,000 from the harvest.

A Government circular in 2001 gives the authority to the Forest Conservation Department on managing the Sri Lankan forest areas which are not wildlife reserves or other State land. Those forest covers that were under the purview of the local authorities have also come under the Forest Department's Authority according to the circular.

"The project demarcating the margins of these forest areas is in progress. A major part of the project has been completed. Margins of few other forest areas that are left undone are identified using the maps drawn for those village areas that are under the respective local authorities," the Minister said. Accordingly the Environment Ministry will continue to this forest reserve demarcating project.

The area in focus in Buttala is an area where the forest reserve margins that are yet to be identified. In the North of the Ruhunu National Park there are many such areas that need to be identified and mapped and the Ministry of Environment is holding discussions with relevant authorities to takeover these forest lands.