Friday, September 17, 2004
YZA irked over forest law changes
Friday, September 17, 2004
By Damitha Hemachandra
The proposed amendments to the Forest Ordinance, which would endanger nearly 200 proposed forest reserves, came under protest from the Young Zoologist Association (YZA) recently. The Association alleged a direct connection between the proposed amendment and government's reconsideration of the American Tropical Forest Act (ATFA).
President of the YZA, Pubudu Weerarathne said the amendments proposed to the articles 19, 20 and 21 of the ordinance would make these forest lands vulnerable to poaching, mineral extraction and grazing.
"These proposed forest reserves holds a very high biological diversity and minimum research had been done on them," he pointed out.
According to Mr. Weerarathne, the new amendments would endanger the biological and genetical resources of the country instead of conserving them, since the protection granted to them would be removed with the scrapping of the three articles.
Prominent Environment Lawyer, Jagath Gunewardana pointed out that the removal of these articles would enable the straightforward application of ATFA.
"The Forest Ordinance, The Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance (FFPO), and the National Heritage Forest Act are the three main legal barriers towards the straightforward application of ATFA within the country," Mr. Gunewardana said.
He maintained that the present amendments to the Forest Ordinance stamp out the legal protection given to proposed forest reserves and forest patches, which are not protected by the FFPO.
The amendments would also further destabilize the Customs Department in its attempts to end bio-piracy through unchecked export of animal and plant materials.
"Articles 19, 20 and 21 of the Forest Ordinance prevents illegal collection of plant specimens from protected and non-protected forest lands," Mr. Gunewardana said.
Most of the bio-piracy of local plant resources had been suspended with the help of these three articles, according to him.
Meanwhile, the government recently decided to reconsider the debt retirement plan through ATFA and had already established a committee with the participation of officials from Ministries of Finance and Environment and Natural Resources and environmentalists.
The committee had been issued 'inflexible instructions' to investigate into the possible mode of implementing ATFA in Sri Lanka.
By Damitha Hemachandra
The proposed amendments to the Forest Ordinance, which would endanger nearly 200 proposed forest reserves, came under protest from the Young Zoologist Association (YZA) recently. The Association alleged a direct connection between the proposed amendment and government's reconsideration of the American Tropical Forest Act (ATFA).
President of the YZA, Pubudu Weerarathne said the amendments proposed to the articles 19, 20 and 21 of the ordinance would make these forest lands vulnerable to poaching, mineral extraction and grazing.
"These proposed forest reserves holds a very high biological diversity and minimum research had been done on them," he pointed out.
According to Mr. Weerarathne, the new amendments would endanger the biological and genetical resources of the country instead of conserving them, since the protection granted to them would be removed with the scrapping of the three articles.
Prominent Environment Lawyer, Jagath Gunewardana pointed out that the removal of these articles would enable the straightforward application of ATFA.
"The Forest Ordinance, The Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance (FFPO), and the National Heritage Forest Act are the three main legal barriers towards the straightforward application of ATFA within the country," Mr. Gunewardana said.
He maintained that the present amendments to the Forest Ordinance stamp out the legal protection given to proposed forest reserves and forest patches, which are not protected by the FFPO.
The amendments would also further destabilize the Customs Department in its attempts to end bio-piracy through unchecked export of animal and plant materials.
"Articles 19, 20 and 21 of the Forest Ordinance prevents illegal collection of plant specimens from protected and non-protected forest lands," Mr. Gunewardana said.
Most of the bio-piracy of local plant resources had been suspended with the help of these three articles, according to him.
Meanwhile, the government recently decided to reconsider the debt retirement plan through ATFA and had already established a committee with the participation of officials from Ministries of Finance and Environment and Natural Resources and environmentalists.
The committee had been issued 'inflexible instructions' to investigate into the possible mode of implementing ATFA in Sri Lanka.
