CEJ Executive Director Hemantha Withanage, speaking to The Morning, said: “‘Other State Forests’ fell under the purview of the district or divisional secretariats and government agents before Circular No. The new Section 20 listed out the acts which are prohibited in any forest other than a conservation forest, reserve forest, or village forest (i.e. Thus, by the said amendment, “Other State Forests” were brought under the protection of the Forest Conservation Ordinance and the purview of the Forest Conservation Department. “The absence of these ‘Other State Forests’ will lead to national parks and forest reserves being isolated and fragmented. Moreover, ‘Other State Forests’ harbour many endemic species and during the last decade or so, multiple new flora and fauna species were identified within ‘Other State Forests’,” Withanage elaborated.

Source: The Nation November 30, 2020 00:56 UTC