A controversial move to release sections of the protected Thumbikulam Forest Reserve in the North Central Province for private commercial interests has triggered strong protests from environmentalists, who warn that the decision could devastate a critical elephant habitat and deepen Sri Lanka’s worsening human-elephant conflict.

Concerned activist Sajeewa Chamikara described the alleged attempt to alienate forest lands as “an environmentally reckless and legally questionable exercise” that could inflict irreversible ecological damage on one of the region’s most sensitive forest ecosystems.

Speaking to The Island, Chamikara said the Thumbikulam Forest Reserve was not merely an isolated forest patch, but a vital ecological corridor sustaining elephant movement, watershed protection, biodiversity conservation and rural agriculture.

“The destruction or fragmentation of this reserve will inevitably intensify human-elephant conflict, threaten nearby farming communities and undermine the very purpose for which this forest was declared protected,” he warned.

Environmental documents reviewed by conservation groups indicate that approximately 50 acres within the reserve, located in the Palugaswewa Divisional Secretariat Division, are reportedly being considered for release from protected status, with a portion allegedly intended for tourism-related commercial activities.

The Thumbikulam Forest Reserve, gazetted as a protected forest in 2013, covers nearly 2,744 hectares and functions as a crucial ecological

buffer linking several wildlife habitats in the North Central Province.

Chamikara said the area also protects vital water catchments and supports the livelihoods of farming communities dependent on irrigation and cultivation systems in the surrounding villages.

“This is not barren land available for exploitation. It is a legally protected forest with enormous ecological significance,” he stressed.

He alleged that attempts were being made to remove sections of the reserve from protected status without proper scientific evaluation, environmental safeguards or meaningful public consultation.

According to the environmental assessment, the forest area serves as an important elephant movement corridor connecting larger forest ecosystems, enabling elephants to move naturally between habitats.

Conservationists fear that disrupting this corridor would force elephants into villages and farmlands, escalating already deadly encounters between humans and wildlife.

Sri Lanka continues to record one of the highest levels of human-elephant conflict in the world, with hundreds of elephants and dozens of humans killed annually.

Chamikara accused certain officials of ignoring both environmental law and scientific evidence in favour of short-term commercial interests.

“The law does not permit protected forests to be arbitrarily carved up for private ventures. Any such action would violate the very objectives of forest conservation legislation and national environmental policy,” he said.

He noted that under Sri Lanka’s environmental regulations, any project affecting protected forest ecosystems requires a rigorous Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), public scrutiny and legal compliance before any land release can even be contemplated.

“Protected forests are not political gifts to be distributed at will. They are national ecological assets that safeguard biodiversity, climate resilience, water security and the survival of wildlife,” he asserted.

Environmental groups also warned that the proposed land release could create a dangerous precedent for future encroachment into other protected forests across the country.

Chamikara called on the government, the Forest Department and environmental authorities to immediately abandon any attempt to degazette lands within the Thumbikulam Forest Reserve and instead strengthen conservation measures to protect elephant corridors and fragile ecosystems.

“If the authorities proceed with this destruction in the name of development, they will be directly responsible for escalating environmental degradation and human-elephant conflict in the region,” he cautioned.

By Ifham Nizam

The Colombo High Court yesterday (14) overruled a preliminary objection raised by the defence in the money laundering case against Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, clearing the way for the trial to proceed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The order was delivered by Colombo High Court Judge Udesh Ranatunga, who held that the defence argument challenging the maintainability of the conspiracy charge lacked merit.

Accordingly, the court dismissed the objection and ruled that there was no legal impediment to continuing with the proceedings against the accused.

Following the ruling, the indictment was read out in open court to Yoshitha Rajapaksa, who pleaded not guilty to the charges.

With the plea entered, the trial formally commenced before the Colombo High Court.

Members of the Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) yesterday (14) occupied a controversial Malwana property, widely described as an “ownerless estate” and previously linked to former Minister Basil Rajapaksa, demanding that it be allocated for public use, including university development.

The student activists said the 15-acre property, which was later taken over by the State after no legal ownership was established, should be repurposed to address severe space constraints faced by universities.

Speaking at the site, IUSF representatives alleged that

successive governments had failed to utilise state assets properly, arguing that valuable state-controlled land remained idle while higher education institutions continued to struggle with space constraints.

They further claimed that the current administration had come to power pledging to confiscate assets obtained through corruption and return them to the public, but that pledged remained unfulfilled.