Ecology & Environment

More than 2000 years ago royalty ensures certain areas were protected from any human activity by declaring them sanctuaries. Almost every province in the kingdom of Kandy had such sanctuaries (Udawattakelle) and they were overseen by specially designated officials. All animals, plants and birds in sanctuaries were to be left undisturbed, the taking of life being anathema Buddhist beliefs. But the worst violation was killing an elephant; elephants were regarded as the property of the Crown and as such, sacred.
Large scale destruction of fauna and flora really started during colonial times when forest was felled in the wet zone to make way for tea plantations, and elephants and other large creatures were shot for sport and to protect these plantations. Since independence, a growing population and an ever-increasing demand for food plus a rush to industrialize have put enormous strain on Sri Lanka’s resources and wildlife.
At the turn of the century about 70% of the island was covered by natural forest. By 1981 this had shrunk to about 24%. Shifting cultivation (chena) is blamed for a good part of this deforestation, but huge areas in the east were also cleared under the Mahaweli irrigation scheme in the 1980s, and clearance for paddy and cultivation elsewhere Continues, especially in the dry zone. Since independence, clearing in the dry zone has proceeded at an escalating rate. The amount of land under cultivation was 1.35 million hectares in 1956; by 1995 this has increased to 2.02 million hectares. Selective logging and illicit felling have also taken their toll.
Not only has the forest cover been drastically reduced, but certain types of tree such as Trincomaleewood (Berrya codrifolia), satinwood (Chloroxylon swietenia) and ebony (Diospyros ebenum) are now scarce. The variegated ebony (Diospyros quaesita) is considered to be threatened with extinction. Clearing, especially slash-and-burn farming, and the increasing use of marginal land on steep slopes for vegetable crops such as tomatoes and potatoes (grown with heavy application of chemical fertilizers), have created serious erosion problems. Many plant species used in Ayurvedic medicine are now scarce, due to habitat destruction and over-exploitation.
Gem mining, and mining and the destruction of coral reefs to feed lime kilns have also degraded the environment. In the north-west, between Chilaw and Puttalam, prawn farming has done major damage to the coastal ecology.
Some 82% of the land is controlled by the state in some form or other; the majority of natural forests are under state jurisdiction. The department of Wildlife & Conservation and the Forestry Department play an important role in conservation. Coastal resources is under the jurisdiction of the Coast Conservation Department.
There is a raft of legislation to combat destructive activity and to protect sensitive areas. Sri Lanka is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention for wetland protection (Bundala has been recognized internationally under the UN-sponsored Ramsar Convention on Wetlands). Sinharaja is a World Heritage Site – saved after being logged during the early 1970s. Sri Lanka has two marine sanctuaries: the Bar Reef (west of Kalpitiya peninsula); and the Hikkaduwa marine sanctuary – plus 24 wildlife sanctuaries. The Coast Conservation Department has targeted Hikkaduwa and Rekawa in its 1996 Special Area Management Plans that will involve local stakeholders in managing the coastal resources. The Crown Lands Ordinance has banned the removal of coral since 1929, and the Forest Ordinance allows authorities to act against people who illicitly cut mangroves. There are laws against marine pollution, trade in endangered species, and the illegal felling of trees. However, despite all these measures, degradation continues due to a growing population that demands more land to be cleared for settlement and cultivation, inertia within government organizations whose role is to protest the environment, and a lack of resources to combat the problem.