Daily News Editorial

Protecting our forests

13th October 2015

All past leaders of this country vowed to protect the country's environment and most importantly our forests. They all promoted and actively participated in tree planting campaigns, drawing in the country's school going population too into this endeavour. The late President J.R. Jayewardene commenced a national tree planting campaign to coincide with his birthday and September 17 was earmarked as the National Tree Plating Day where schools islandwide, and Government institutions were required to plant a sapling in their premises. The programme which began in earnest however lost steam along the way and today hardly any attention is paid to tree planting on a wider scale, save for the occasional planting of a sapling by a politician for the TV cameras.

Other priorities have overtaken this most vital endeavour to the great cost to the country. For, today there is no denying that large scale forest destruction is taking place around the country, with politicians being the chief culprits. The fate that has befallen the country's forest cover was brought to attention of the public by non other than President Maithripala Sirisena the other day, while participating in the “Wana Ropa” tree planting programme in Kotmale. Hailing from Polonnaruwa and also being the Minister for Environment the President's concern is only too well understood.

Drawing attention to the rampant destruction of the country's forests, President Sirisena said this was done by businessmen and racketeers who only think of financial gain, without an iota of thought to the degradation they are causing and damaging repercussions to the country's future. He said the Government is determined to increase the country's forest density from the existing 29 percent to 32 percent in the next three years.

But achieving this target will be a big question mark given the tendency of politicians to clear forest lands to convert them to settlements or for the purpose of building hotels. The newspapers in the recent past were full of accounts of how powerful ministers had cleared vast swathes of forest land for hotel projects or allowed businessmen to do so in order to acquire stakes in the hotels built. Another episode that is still receiving wide publicity is about how a Minister is clearing forest lands indiscriminately to settle those displaced from among his community, who were driven away by the LTTE from the North in 1990. This particular Minister, it is alleged, had now even ventured out into the North to clear the forests in Mullaitivu for the purpose. Significantly President Sirisena noted at the tree planting ceremony that despite the conflict in the North and East a large portion of the forest cover was still in tact there. The forests were protected in those areas but the forests in other areas faced immense danger, he noted. Now it appears that the forests in the North too are in danger unless this politician is kept in check.

To the credit of the LTTE, it did not permit the destruction of the forest cover in the North while politicians in the South took the lead in denuding our forests, with grave repercussion to future generations. It is common knowledge that the biggest destruction of forest cover took place for the construction of the Mattala airport. Tens of thousands of trees were felled and vast acreages of forest cover denuded for what eventually turned out to be a white elephant. What was hilarious was the Government of the day organising tree planting campaigns in schools to off set the destruction, when it will be obvious to even a moron that these trees, when they eventually come up to full maturity, will be furthest from area where the damage was done. For, this forest cleared was the habitat of rich wildlife. The animals who dwelt here are today roaming aimlessly in human settlements, with elephants running amok in villages, as often shown on television and as seen from the many carcases of straying animals on the Southern Expressway, knocked down by speeding vehicles.

The massive forest destruction has also brought in its wake other upheavals such as change in the weather patterns and climate. Today the once gushing brooks and streams that threaded through rocks and hilly terrain are mostly dry and forlorn, in the hill country. The seasons too are erratic, with long spells of drought which experts say is the result dwindling forest cover. Sri Lanka was once home to lush greenery and dense forest cover. But today greed appears to have overtaken all aesthetic senses among our population. As mentioned, politicians stand accused for this sorry state of affairs. No businessman would venture out to clear forest land without the blessings of powerful politicians. Nay, they are today going about this business in the open with impunity and the day will not be far when Sri Lanka will be reduced to a desert land. President Sirisena spoke about strictly implementing the laws to protect the environment and taking action against persons who violate such laws, irrespective of their status or position. It is hoped that President views this matter with the seriousness it deserves. The country's forests can be considered a treasure. No one, whoever they may be, should be allowed to plunder this treasure.