Ehetuwewa Forest Reserve at the mercy of racketeers

Government authorities including the police carry out an inspection tour in the Ehetuwewa Forest Reserve

Rackerers have cleared paths into the forest

Heavy machinery used by racketeers

Valuable forest trees have been felled

By Nandana Kelegama

The valuable ecosystem of the Ehetuwewa forest reserve  has been left to the mercy of  racketeers.
Residents of the area and  environmentalists who expressed concern about the ongoing wonton destruction here pointed  out that a vast area of the forest has already been cleared,  and huge  trees including Palu, Weera, and Satinwood  have been felled with heavy duty machinery and equipment.
They said the wildlife  and  forest conservation officials  turned a blind eye to this devastation. 
“The forest reserve is within the purview of the Galgamuwa forest conservation office and the Ehetuwewa  Divisional Secretariat,  but  the forest reserve has been left to the mercy of  racketeers. More than ten acres in Kithalawa area of the forest reserve,  which is a natural habitat and the breeding ground of wild elephants,  has been cleared. However,  the relevant authorities have allowed it to go on unchecked. The area cleared has been turned into bare land sans vegetation,” they added.
“The Divisional Secretary, the police,   forest conservation officers or the Grama Niladharis have failed to prevent the destruction. Ehetuwewa forest reserve is the habitat of a  herd of more than 500 wild elephants,  and  the elephant corridor from Padeniya, Galgamuwa and Ambanpola falls through it. It is unavoidable that the already tense situation of the human-elephant conflict would worsen when the natural habitats of wild elephants are destroyed in this manner. The most number of deaths reported from Galgamuwa and Ehetuwewa hospitals stem from  confrontations with marauding elephants  that roam  these villages.
 “However, the racketeers fish in  troubled  waters and buy villagers’ land. The villagers leave the area in fear of wild elephants, selling their lands cheaply, even though  electric fences are erected to keep away  wild elephants. The Wildlife Department and  Forest Conservation Department take action against  villagers who enter the forest to collect firewood but they leave the forest at the mercy of the racketeers who are outsiders,” The residents of the area further said.
 Meanwhile,  a senior official of Galgamuwa Wildlife Office said they carried out an inspection to find that the forest has been cleared and valuable trees have been felled,  but  the Divisional Secretary should have taken  action against those individuals responsible for it. He further said any further clearing of the forest or any cultivation obstructing the elephant corridor  would not be allowed.
However,Ehetuwewa Divisional SecretaryW.M.Udayani Weerasinghe said she has carried out an inspection with the Grama Niladharis, the police and  officers of the Wildlife Department and the Forest Conservation Department.
“A vast area of the forest has been illegally cleared. 
Anyone responsible for it was not present during the inspection. However I will conduct a formal investigation. I have prohibited any further clearing of the forest,” she said.