Environmentalists denounce proposal to allow private ownership of Pidurutalagala forest reserve land

• Cabinet memorandum proposes vesting land with vegetable farmers who are in occupation of land for over four decades
• Lands and Land Development proposes re-demarcating forest reserve boundaries to exclude 300 acres known as ‘Apple Farm’
• Land was used for failed apple farming project in 1970s; since used by vegetable farmers
• Environmentalist says private ownership of this land would destroy unique biodiversity of area
• Alleges that influential businessman behind move to take ownership of reserve land

By Chandani Kirinde

A move to get Cabinet approval to allow 300 acres of land which comes within the Pidurutalagala Forest Reserve to come under private ownership by the Ministry of Lands and Land Development has been denounced by environmentalists who say this would cause serious damage to this important catchment area.

A memorandum is expected to be presented to Cabinet next month by Minister of Environment and Wildlife Resources, and Lands and Land Development S.M. Chandrasena, the Daily FT learns.

A draft of the Cabinet memorandum seen by the Daily FT seeks approval to permanently settle those who have occupied the land illegally for many years with minimum damage to the environment. 

It also seeks to remove these lands from the forest reserve area of Pidurutalagala and instruct the Conservator General of Forest to re-demarcate the boundaries of the reserve, excluding this 300 acres of land from it. 

The area in question is called ‘Apple Farm’, as it was an area which was allocated for apple cultivation in the 1970s on a decision taken by the Nuwara Eliya District Development Coordinating Committee. The apple cultivation project failed, and later the land was given to farmers for cultivation of vegetables and potatoes.

The Forest Department had been engaged in pursuing action since the 1980s with advice from the Attorney General under the State Lands (Recovery of Possession) Act, which makes provision for the recovery of possession of State lands form persons in unauthorised possession or occupation of such lands, but despite the many years of litigation, there has been no final settlement on the issue. There have been recommendations made in the past by the Land Commission to give ownership to people who have been cultivating the land – some for over four decades – as they would be destitute without those lands.

However, environmentalists fear that if 300 acres of this biodiversity-rich catchment area is demarcated as private land, it could have a detrimental impact on the environment.

Convener of the Rainforest Protectors Organisation Jayantha Wijesinghe said allowing private ownership of forest reserve land would pave the way for the destruction of the habitat. “There is already heavy use of fertiliser by those who grow vegetables on these lands. Soon there will be deforestation, electric fences erected to kill animals, and hunting of animals,” he said.

Wijesinghe alleged that much of those vying for the lands are not poor farmers but influential businessmen who are keen on getting ownership of the lands to expand their businesses and use it for commercial purposes.

He said that the ecosystem around the country’s highest mountain range is home to hundreds of endemic species of plants and animals, and even on small extents of land within the reserve, there is unique biodiversity which would be destroyed if the lands come under private ownership.