INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Conservator General of Forests, K.M.A Bandara has refuted media reports indicating that Sri Lankas forest cover has reduced to 16%
He said this in response to a question made concerning the media report on the instructions of Presidents Secretary Saman Ekanayake, the
Presidents Media Division (PMD) reported.The Presidential Secretariat had actually focused its attention concerning these reports released
in the media, it added.The assessment of forest cover is carried out every 5 years and the census carried out in 2020 is scheduled to be
finished in June this year
According to the census carried out in 2015, the natural forests of Sri Lanka stood at 29.15% (1,912,970 hectares) of the total land extent,
according to the PMD.The Conservator General of Forests likewise stated that although there has actually been some decrease in the amount of
forests due to various advancement activities and other human activities in the nation, there has actually definitely been no decrease in
the quantity of forests approximately 16% as mentioned in the media reports.According to media reports, if the forest location in Sri Lanka
is 16% of the overall land level, then the existing forest location in the nation should be 1,040,000 hectares
This implies that 872,970 hectares of forests must have been damaged during the 7 years from 2015, which is 124,710 hectares each year and
341 hectares of forest destruction per day, it pointed out further.He likewise said that the method used to assess the forests need to have
been described in the presentation of information on forests
Fundamental points such as the definition of forests, the method of approximating forest size, and the estimation of forest size must have
been discussed in the report
However, there is no source from which the pertinent data was gotten in the media reports recommending that the forest cover had
decreased.The Conservator General even more mentioned that if there is extensive forest destruction, as reported in the media, it needs to
have been observed by the Department of Forest, the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Sri Lanka Police, and the Sri Lanka Air Force,
which monitors forests from the air
However, such substantial forest destruction has actually not been reported to any of these organizations
He likewise specified that the Forest Department is upgrading forest maps and that no such forest destruction was observed throughout those
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