Sri Lanka has formally declared 20 forests covering approximately 9,538 hectares as forest reserves under the Government's Wanaspathi national programme.
The forests are located across six districts:
- Nuwara Eliya;
- Kegalle;
- Ampara;
- Badulla;
- Vavuniya; and
- Anuradhapura.
The relevant Gazette notifications were issued on September 26.
Programme expands protected area
The Environment Ministry says 93 forests had previously been gazetted as reserves under the programme.
With the latest 20 additions, the total land area protected through the initiative has reached approximately 65,000 hectares.
The newly protected forests include areas representing several different ecological types, including wet evergreen, montane, sub-montane, dry mixed evergreen and other forest ecosystems.
From announcement to implementation
Earlier reports stated that the 20 forests were scheduled to receive reserve status on September 26.
That stage has now passed.
The final publication must therefore state that the forests have been declared reserves, rather than that they “will be” declared.