A commendable attempt to increase forest cover

Minister Mahinda Amaraweera and others at Janaka Jayalal’s Root Ball Planting Garden.

By Ifham Nizam

Environmentalist, Janaka Jayalal, has successfully experimented with a new technology, root ball system, to plant trees.

Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera yesterday visited the Root Ball Tree Park run by Jayalal on a seven-acre land in Suriyawewa and said that Jayalal had so far successfully planted about 102 varieties of seedlings under the new system.

Jayalal has also transported a 110-foot- high Bo tree from the Halpanwila area in Chilaw and planted it in the Rasnayakapura in Nikaweratiya. He told the Minister that the tree remained healthy.

“The country needs more people experimenting with tree planting like Janaka Jayalal to increase Sri Lanka’s forest cover,” Amaraweera said.

Amaraweera said: “According to the Paris Agreement, we must increase our country’s forest cover to 32 percent by 2030. However, due to the acts of some racketeers, corrupt government officials and some unscrupulous local politicians massive damage is being done to the environment here.

The Environment Ministry has launched a programme to identify areas with sensitive ecosystems countrywide to tackle the problem.