Mangroves Protected: Wedithalathive Nature Reserve Remains Intact

The Attorney General informed the Supreme Court that the Cabinet has decided to degazette a part of the Wedithalathive Nature Reserve. The AG made this communication when a fundamental rights petition filed by environmental organization Environmental Foundation Limited (EFL) was taken up before the court. 

The EFL in its petition filed on June 2024 had challenged the order dated 03.05.2024 published in the Government Gazette Extraordinary Notification bearing No. 2383/05 dated 06.05.2024. The decision to alter the boundaries of the Wedithalathive Nature Reserve has been mainly due to the mounting pressure exerted by the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) to establish an aquaculture park within the said Nature Reserve. 

Declared in 2016 under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance, the Reserve protects a unique and irreplaceable coastal and marine ecosystem spanning approximately 29,180 hectares, the EFL stated in its petition. 

Protected areas like the Wedithalathive Nature Reserve are not merely lines on a map; they are ecological lifelines. Declared in 2016 under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance, the Reserve

protects a unique and irreplaceable coastal and marine ecosystem spanning approximately 29,180 hectares, it added.

The Reserve comprises a diverse mosaic of mangrove forests, salt marshes, mudflats, seagrass beds, and coral reefs, forming one of the most biologically and economically significant natural landscapes in the country. At its core lies Sri Lanka’s largest continuous mangrove forests directly facing the sea, a rare coastal ecosystem that acts as a vital buffer against storm surges, coastal erosion, and sea-level rise. These mangroves are also crucial carbon sinks, contributing significantly to climate change mitigation.

The mudflats and salt marshes within the Reserve serve as critical feeding grounds for millions of migratory birds navigating the Central Asian Flyway, while the seagrass beds support a wide range of marine life, including the critically endangered dugong. These habitats also sustain the livelihoods of hundreds of local families engaged in artisanal fishing, the petitioner claimed. 

When the case was taken up on July 29 before the Supreme Court bench comprising Justices  S. Thurairaja PC, Yasantha Kodagoda PC, and K. Priyantha Fernando, Additional Solicitor General, Viveka Siriwardena, appearing for the respondents, informed the Court that the Cabinet of Ministers had decided on July 7, 2025, to revoke the said Gazette (No.2383/05). She further informed the Court that a new Gazette rescinding the earlier one would be issued in due course, and this case is to be mentioned again on October 10, 2025, in order to ascertain compliance with the said undertaking given by the Attorney General.