Nearly 1,000 acres of Kokilai Bird Sanctuary razed

(May 04, 2010) Nearly 1,000 acres of the Kokilai Bird Sanctuary in the northeastern coast have been reportedly destroyed in a very brief period and cleared torched after dousing petrol.

Between 2,000 and 3,000 Weaver bird nests were also demolished with eggs and young birds, reports say.

The cleared land is a part of the sanctuary that has about 6,000 acres.

Ornithologists said that of the 13 Black headed Storks found in Sri Lanka, three were reported in the Sanctuary, apart from large number of pelicans and other hundreds of migrants, reported The Island. Villagers also said that the said area was home to 35 elephants including a tusker.

Environmental Lawyer Jagath Gunawardena told The Island that no one can clear a sanctuary without getting the Environmental Impact Assessment and the approval through the National Environment Act. He said that according to the Flora and Fauna Ordinance that clearing a sanctuary is a non bailable offence and that even clearing up a privately owned land within the sanctuary requires an environmental assessment to be submitted to the Central Environmental Authority.

He said that under the Fauna and Flora Ordinance too it is prohibited to clear land belonging to a sanctuary.

Such clearance would also affect the fisheries in the area and also damage aquatic resources, he said.

Posted in Flora and Fauna Ordinance , Kokilai Bird Sanctuary , National Environment Act