Proposed Gonahaduwa Forest Reserve issue: Natural SAND dune forest areas grabbed by encroachers

 A view of the Arugam Bay coastline and the proposed forest reserve along it

• The natural sand dune forest bordering the Arugam Bay coast has been subject to human encroachment since the war ended
• Environmentalists have engaged in a valiant effort to protect the natural sand dune forest bordering the Arugam Bay coast
• Racketeers doing business using fake licences receive the support of government officials in the area
•  Gonahaduwa Forest, which borders the Arugam Bay coast, also came under threat from various groups

Arugam Bay in Pottuvil, located in the Ampara District, is a highly popular area for tourists. This beach is well-known for surfing, mainly because it has continuous high waves suitable for the sport, along with favourable environmental and geographical conditions, according to the opinion of surfers. 
“Arugam Bay Beach is more popular for surfing than any other beach in Sri Lanka. Foreigners who come here are of the opinion that the high waves in the Arugam Bay Sea aren’t found on other beaches in Sri Lanka. They point out that the reason for these high waves may be the natural sand dunes that run parallel to this beach and the unique forest located on them. This is what our fathers and elders here also believed. Therefore, the elders who settled in this area didn’t allow these forested sand dunes to be damaged in any manner, because they knew that the tourism industry in Arugam Bay depends on the forested sand dunes that run parallel to this beach,” said K. H. Amaradasa, 67, Former President of the Arugam Bay Sinhapura Fishermen’s Cooperative Society.
Amaradasa is a civilian who has been fighting for nearly two decades to protect the natural sand dune forest bordering the Arugam Bay coast. He pointed out that this sand dune forest has been subject to human encroachment since the end of the thirty year war in the country.

“During the war, this ecosystem was protected. No one engaged in activities that destroyed it. However, after the war, this land gained high commercial value. As a result, many people seized government forest land and government land near the coast, prepared fake licences”
- K. H. Amaradasa, Former President of the Arugam Bay Sinhapura Fishermen’s Cooperative Society

“Due to the actions of this Deputy Minister, this issue has been pushed back by about 15 years. In addition, it was revealed in court that nine out of the ten individuals who filed cases against the Department of Forest Conservation claiming ownership of this proposed forest reserve had submitted false licences”

- Hemantha Withanage, Center for Environmental Justice

“During the war, this ecosystem was protected. No one engaged in activities that destroyed it. However, after the war, this land gained high commercial value. As a result, many people seized government forest land and government land near the coast, prepared fake licences, and started a racket to sell them for money. This is still happening at present. These racketeers also receive the support of some government officials in the area,” he further told us.
This natural sand dune forest, covering about 18 hectares and located bordering the Arugam Bay coast in the Sinna Ullai area of the Pottuvil Divisional Secretariat, within the Lahugala Forest Reserve of the Ampara District, is known among villagers as the Proposed Gonahaduwa Forest Reserve. Managed under the direct supervision of the Department of Forest Conservation (DFC), this forest consists of dry zone plant species such as Palu and Weera, which aren’t usually found in coastal plains, as well as various mangrove species, arid zone plants, and a low growing shrub community that is resistant to strong winds.
Environmentalists state that this forest and beach, which provide food and habitat for a large number of animal communities and migratory birds living in the coastal zone, have also been identified as a major nesting ground where turtles come in large numbers to lay their eggs.
Due to the unique nature of this forest system and the threats it currently faces, the attention of forest conservation officers was drawn to the need to gazette it as a reserve about a decade and a half ago. However, politicians in the area, both in government and in the opposition, have not allowed this to proceed, and certain state institutions have openly expressed disapproval of the DFC. Despite these obstacles, officials of the DFC, with the assistance of the Coastal Conservation Department, surveyed this forest area and, in 2023, submitted it for the signature of the subject minister with the aim of gazetting it as a reserve. It is regrettable, however, that the subject ministers in charge so far have been reluctant to sign it.
Fake land licences
As mentioned previously, following the end of the 30-year civil war, the tourism industry in the Eastern Province, particularly centred on the Arugam Bay area, experienced a major boom. This resulted in a significant increase in land values in the region.  As a result, a racket involving the grabbing of government land in Arugam Bay and surrounding coastal areas, the preparation of fake licenses, and the sale of such land to outsiders has been operating for some time. Gonahaduwa Forest, which borders the Arugam Bay coast, also came under threat from various groups, and among those who demanded land in this area were politicians, military leaders, local business figures, as well as senior government officials.  
Meanwhile, in 2010, ten individuals with political connections in the area filed a case in the Pottuvil District Court, claiming ownership of land within the Gonahaduwa proposed reserve, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Pottuvil District Court. Ampara District Forest Officer and the Attorney General were named as respondents in the case.
Although the Pottuvil District Court initially took up the petitioners’ requests for a hearing, it later rejected all nine claims for land ownership after it was revealed that the relevant area was forest land belonging to the DFC.
Subsequently, the petitioners challenged the decision of the court and filed nine appeals before the Kalmunai Civil Appeal High Court. However, following a letter sent to the court by the Commissioner General of Lands, the petitioners withdrew all nine appeals with the permission of the court.

 The picture shows how coconut plants have been grown along the seashore

As doubts arose regarding the land licences, submitted by the petitioners to prove ownership of these forest lands located in a highly sensitive ecological zone bordering the Arugam Bay coast, the then Ampara District Forest Officer of the DFC referred the licences to the Provincial Land Commissioner to examine their legality. The investigation revealed that all but one of the licences were fake. Taking into account the report submitted to the High Court by the Provincial Land Commissioner, the petitioners withdrew all the petitions they had filed before the Kalmunai Civil Appeal High Court challenging the order of the Pottuvil District Court.
However, forest department officials stated that although it has been reported that a legal licence was issued to a person named Y. B. Athambawa for two hectares within the proposed reserve, the legality of this licence hasn’t yet been confirmed by the Commissioner General of Lands.
Request to release forest area for tourism 
Politicians in the area proposed releasing the proposed reserved forest area with a natural sand dune from the DFC for the development of tourism activities at the Divisional Development Committee meeting held at the Pottuvil Divisional Secretariat Auditorium on 14.03.2023. This proposal received the approval of all representatives of both the then ruling party and the opposition. However, the DFC and the Coastal Conservation Department (CCD) opposed the decision from the outset. And the then Director General of the CCD made a written request to the Ampara District Development Committee not to approve the decision of the divisional committee. Subsequently, following several discussions at the Ampara District Development Committee regarding this issue, steps were taken to appoint a sub committee under the chairmanship of the then Ampara District Secretary to decide on the land issue that had given rise to differing views.
Conservation Forest
As decided by the Ampara District Development Committee, several joint field observations were carried out at the institutional level to study this unique ecosystem bordering the Arugam Bay coast. All relevant government institutions, including the FCD, CCD, Marine Environment Protection Authority, Survey Department, and Urban Development Authority, participated in this process. The first meeting of the committee was held on 05.09.2023 at the Pottuvil Divisional Secretariat Auditorium under the chairmanship of the then Ampara District Secretary, Chinthaka Abeywickrama.
During these observations, the forest area was identified as the only forest found along a coastal strip in the area. It was also revealed that the DFC is managing the area under its supervision using boundary markers. Forest Department officials stated that they are working jointly with the CCD to prepare a conservation plan for this forest area and are proceeding accordingly. Coastal conservation officials pointed out that this land could also be used for eco friendly tourism activities through a joint approach with the Forest Department, involving community groups, hotel owners, and tourism service providers in the area.
Officials from the Ampara District Marine Environment Protection Authority, who were involved in this matter, pointed out to the Ampara District Secretary that the natural sand dune along the coast is fully protected from erosion caused by strong coastal winds by these coastal forests. They further explained that this forest area and the sand dunes adjacent to the surfing site have attracted a large number of foreign tourists to this ecosystem. They also stated that Arugam Bay is one of the best surfing destinations in the world and warned that damage to this mountain range or forest system could alter wind patterns, thereby affecting surfing conditions.  They emphasised that there is no purpose in speaking about a tourism industry in Arugam Bay without surfing. 
Accordingly, it was decided not to lease this 18-hectare forest system with natural sand dune on a long-term basis or in any other manner. It was also decided that if there were individuals who had previously engaged in chena cultivation or other activities in this area, they would be provided with alternative land. 
Gonahaduwa forest issue reaches Parliament
The decision of the committee chaired by Chinthaka Abeywickrama, who was serving at the time as the Ampara District Secretary, to resolve the issue relating to the disputed Gonahaduwa Forest Reserve in Arugam Bay was also referred to the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Sustainable Development of the Parliament of Sri Lanka at that time. The matter was discussed at length, and by letter No. LS/SOC/9P/10 dated 22.09.2023, the Secretary of the Committee directed the Secretary of the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Resources to take the necessary steps to gazette this forest area as a reserve and to report on its progress. In line with this directive, the DFC took immediate action to declare this natural forest section a reserved forest. The boundary schedule of the proposed reserve was prepared and submitted to the relevant Minister for signature through the Director General of Forest Conservation on 15.11.2023. However, no Minister had taken steps to sign it up to that point.
Officials pressured to release land
While the relevant survey work required to declare the proposed Gonahaduwa Forest Reserve had already been submitted to the Minister for signature, Deputy Minister and Ampara District Parliamentarian Wasantha Piyatissa took steps to reopen the issue. Accordingly, at the District Development Committee meeting held at the Ampara District Secretariat on 29.10.2025, the Deputy Minister addressed the Pottuvil Divisional Secretary and stated that, as an individual was claiming ownership of two hectares within this reserve, steps should be taken to examine whether this portion of land could be released to that person and to act accordingly.
Deputy Minister and Ampara District Parliamentarian Wasantha Piyatissa was contacted several times on his mobile phone number to seek clarification regarding the allegation related to this matter, the Deputy Minister didn’t respond.

“We cannot allow this forest to be destroyed again”- Hemantha Withanage, Center for Environmental Justice

Commenting on this issue, Hemantha Withanage of the Center for Environmental Justice stated as follows: “Regarding this proposed forest reserve, a committee was appointed in 2023 through the Ampara District Development Committee under the chairmanship of the Ampara District Secretary. That committee reached a decision and referred it to the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Sustainable Development of Parliament, which also took a decision and carried out extensive work to resolve the matter. However, due to the actions of this Deputy Minister, this issue has been pushed back by about 15 years. In addition, it was revealed in court that nine out of the ten individuals who filed cases against the Department of Forest Conservation claiming ownership of this proposed forest reserve had submitted false licences. To date, no investigation has been conducted to determine whether the remaining licence is valid. This individual claims to have engaged in chena cultivation within the forest reserve. We cannot allow this forest to be destroyed again. This is a rare ecosystem. Forests of this nature are rarely found close to the coast, and therefore this area must be preserved as a reserve. If this individual genuinely has rights to this land, the committee chaired by the District Secretary had already decided to allocate alternative land elsewhere in the area. Therefore, the ministers and Members of Parliament of this government should move forward from the point at which the issue had already been resolved, without reviving previously rejected proposals and creating further problems.”

“Land licences submitted by nine of them were fake”- Director General DFC

Accordingly, when inquiries were made from the Director General of DFC, W. W. M. P. S. C. Palamakumbura, he stated that although the relevant file for gazetting this forest section in the Arugam Bay area as a reserve has been received by the Colombo office, it hasn’t yet been forwarded for the Minister’s signature due to a minor issue.
“There were ten individuals claiming rights to this proposed forest reserve. It was revealed that the land licences submitted by nine of them were fake. However, the licence issued to one individual has now been confirmed to be valid. I am not fully aware of the decisions taken by the committee appointed by the Ampara District Development Committee, under the chairmanship of the then Ampara District Secretary, to reach a decision on this issue. If the committee had decided to remove that individual from the plot of land and allocate an alternative and had acted accordingly, there would be no obstacle to gazetting this forest area as a reserve. However, I will look into this further and provide you with more information later,” he said.