By Ifham Nizam

The Forest Department would decide with a team of legal experts how to implement a recent Court of Appeal judgment order the reforestation of the Kallaru forest reserve in the Wilpattu National Park buffer zone, a senior Department official said.

When contacted, Forest Conservator General W.A. C. Weragoda told The Island that they were in the process of working out a plan, which would be ready as per the court ruling.

Weragoda said that initially money had to be deposited in a government account. However, he said that the amount had to be estimated first.

In response to a query regarding damage that had been caused to the biodiversity, especially to fauna, he said animals would return when the forest was regrown.

The Centre for Environmental Justice Executive Director Hemantha Withanage told The Island that the cost of replanting the forest would be double as it was in the dry zone and the saplings had to be taken care of for at least for ten years.

He estimated it to cost roughly around Rs. 5,000 million, but said it could be more.

Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said the government would not hand over the task of replanting saplings in the destroyed Kallaru forest to MP Rishad Bathiudeen, who is responsible for the destruction of the forest.

“We are also preparing a report the forest destruction. We will also submit a report on the cost. Some ask me if I will hand over the task of planting saplings in the destroyed Kallaru forest to Bathiudeen.”

According to the court order, all he had to do was to pay the amount estimated by the Department of Forest Conservation, the Ministry of Wildlife and the CEA.

Replanting of Kallaru forest would be done by the Forest Department, Minister Amaraweera said, adding that the Ministry of Environment and the CEA would oversee it.

The Minister praised the Chairman, Executive Director and other officials of the Centre for Environmental Justice, who fought to the court case.

He also said that the judgment had set a good precedent on how to take action against those who relentlessly destroyed the environment.

“Some people think that they can get away with their crimes with the help of thier wealth. Due to the factual reporting carried out by all the media in this country on the destruction of the Wilpattu forest, the issue received wide publicity and justice was served.”