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Environmentalists call for holistic approach to tackling crop damage caused by animals

Published

1 year ago

2024/12/21

Thilina Walpola

Coconuts damaged by monkeys. Image courtesy of Sahan Weerasingha

Blaming haphazard human actions for current plight

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Crop damage caused by animals can only be effectively addressed through a holistic approach that examines the factors driving wildlife out of their traditional habitats and the reasons behind the population growth of certain species, environmentalists assert.

The destruction and fragmentation of natural ecosystems to make way for human settlements, commercial plantations, and unplanned development projects have severely disrupted wildlife habitats in recent decades, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR), said.

Additionally, the introduction and widespread cultivation of non-native plantations, such as acacia, pine, eucalyptus, and teak, along with monoculture cash crops, such as tea, rubber, oil palm, maize, and bananas, have resulted in the loss of natural habitats and food sources for animals.

“Moreover, the spread of invasive plant species, such as giant mimosa, lantana, guinea grass, thorny bushes, water hyacinth, and others, within these habitats, has rendered them unsuitable for wildlife. This has forced animals, such as monkeys, wild boars, porcupines, peacocks, and elephants, to leave their habitats and venture into farmlands, causing significant crop damage,” Chamikara said. He noted that human activities, such as improper waste disposal near wildlife habitats and the feeding of animals during tourism and religious activities, have encouraged these animals to move into farmland.

In addition to habitat loss and fragmentation, the decline in natural predators, due to habitat disruption, has led to population increases in certain species. Professor Sampath S. Seneviratne of the Department of Zoology and Environment Sciences at the University of Colombo highlighted the significant decline in the population of Sri Lankan jackals—around 60 percent in the last two decades—which, he said indicates serious environmental problems.

“Jackals and farmers are not in conflict. Jackals prey on animals that are a nuisance to farmers, such as serpents, rodents, peacocks, and small pigs. They are crucial for maintaining ecosystem balance. When the jackal population decreases, it signals a collapse in the ecosystem’s equilibrium. Simultaneously, we have observed a sharp rise in the peacock population,” Professor Seneviratne said.

The proliferation of peacocks in the wet zone is a relatively recent phenomenon, he explained, as jackals had previously kept their population in check, restricting them to the dry zone. “Peacock eggs are vulnerable to predators, but adult peacocks have no natural enemies. Jackals would eat their eggs and young, preventing overpopulation. With the decline in jackal numbers, the peacock population has exploded,” he said.

Chamikara said that understanding the current ecological and agricultural crisis requires examining Sri Lanka’s forest cover history. Historical records indicate that in 1881, Sri Lanka’s forest cover was approximately 84 percent of its total land area. By 1900, this had fallen to 70 percent, largely due to the rapid clearing of wet zone forests for coffee and tea plantations. A forest survey conducted between 1956 and 1961 revealed a further reduction, with forest cover down to 44.2 percent (roughly 2.9 million hectares).

The second forest survey, conducted between 1982 and 1985 under the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), indicated that forest cover had declined to 37.5 percent (2.46 million hectares). By 1992, analyses by C. Legg and N. Jewell revealed a further decrease to 31.2 percent (2.04 million hectares). This trend continued, with forest cover reaching 29.6 percent (1.94 million hectares) by 1996 and 29.7 per cent (1.95 million hectares) by 2010.

“Between 1960 and 2010, Sri Lanka lost 947,370 hectares of forest,” Chamikara said. “In the past 14 years, extensive deforestation has been driven by ill-conceived national development plans. Large-scale projects, such as the Yan Oya Irrigation Scheme (15,000 acres), the Moragahakanda and Kaluganga Multipurpose Irrigation Projects (25,000 acres), and infrastructure developments in Hambantota—including the Magampura Port, Mattala Airport, and the Southern Expressway—have collectively cleared over 25,000 acres of forests. Additionally, post-war resettlement and unregulated land use for tourism, development projects, and high-security zones have led to the clearance of approximately 17,800 acres of forest. The ongoing Lower Malwathu Oya Irrigation Project has resulted in another 10,000 acres being cleared.”

Chamikara added that government agencies, such as the Forest Department and the Mahaweli Authority, have allocated significant forest tracts to commercial enterprises and agribusinesses, further diminishing wildlife habitats and increasing encroachments into farmlands.

According to Chinthaka Rajapakshe, moderator of MONLAR, the roots of Sri Lanka’s commercial agriculture date back to the British colonial era, beginning with coffee cultivation. Although the Dutch had experimented with coffee in 1740, large-scale plantations were established by the British in 1833. By 1860, Sri Lanka was a leading coffee producer, with plantations covering 275,000 acres by 1870. However, coffee crops were devastated by fungal diseases, leading to the rise of tea cultivation in 1867.

“Today, tea plantations span 221,969 hectares, significantly encroaching upon upland and lowland wet forests. Rubber cultivation followed, beginning in 1876 in Gampaha, and now extends across 133,668 hectares. Other commercial crops, such as sugarcane and maize, have expanded rapidly, often replacing traditional mixed-crop systems, reducing biodiversity, and displacing wildlife,” Rajapakshe said.

Smallholder farmers have faced numerous challenges due to the expansion of large-scale commercial agriculture. These include dependency on agrochemical and seed companies, water scarcity, displacement through land-use policies favouring corporate interests, post-harvest losses, and difficulties in marketing produce. Additionally, farmers grapple with fluctuating crop prices, exploitation by market monopolies, and competition from imported goods.

“While wildlife conflicts are an issue, they represent only a fraction of the systemic challenges affecting agriculture. Sustainable agricultural solutions must address these underlying causes rather than focusing solely on wildlife as pests. Destroying wildlife is not a sustainable solution. Instead, we must acknowledge their ecological importance and adopt biodiversity-focused strategies. A shift from a human-centric perspective to an ecologically balanced approach is essential for ensuring the coexistence of humans and wildlife while fostering sustainable farming practices,” he said.

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Coal scandal: Govt. urged to release lab report

Published

6 hours ago

2026/01/19

Thilina Walpola

Pubudu Jagoda

The government is under mounting pressure to release a foreign laboratory report on the controversial coal consignment imported for the Lakvijaya Power Plant, with the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) accusing the authorities of political interference and tender manipulation.

Speaking to the media after a party meeting in Homagama yesterday, FSP Education Secretary Pubudu Jagoda demanded an immediate explanation for the delay in disclosing the report from a Dutch laboratory, Cotecna, which was commissioned to test samples of the coal stocks in question after doubts were raised about an earlier local laboratory assessment. Jagoda said Cabinet media spokesperson Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa had announced that the report would be submitted by 16 January, but it had yet to be made public.

“The Sri Lankan lab confirmed the coal was substandard and could damage both the environment and power plant machinery. The foreign lab has independently verified the same results, we are told. Yet, political pressure appears to be delaying the release of the report.” He warned that any attempt to issue a false report would eventually be exposed and urged the government and the laboratory to maintain transparency.

SLPP MP D.V. Chanaka told Parliament last week that while 107 metric tonnes of coal were normally required per hour to generate 300 megawatts, but as many as 120 tonnes of newly imported coal were needed to produce the same amount of power due to its lower calorific value. Tests showed the first two shipments had calorific values of 5,600–5,800 kcal/kg, below the required minimum of 5,900 kcal/kg, said.

Jagoda accused the government of tailoring procurement rules to benefit an Indian supplier, citing a drastic reduction in reserve requirements—from one million metric tonnes in 2021 to just 100,000 tonnes in 2025—and alleged previous irregularities by the company, including a 2016 Auditor General finding regarding a rice supply contract and the 2019 suspension of a key agent of the company by the International Cricket Council over match-fixing.

He further criticised systemic manipulation of the coal tender process, including delays in issuing the tender from the usual February-March window to July, and progressively shortening the submission period from six weeks to three, giving an advantage to suppliers with stock on hand.

The Ministry of Energy recently issued an amended tender for 4.5 million metric tonnes of coal for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 periods, following the cancellation of an earlier tender. Jagoda warned that procurement delays and irregularities could trigger coal shortages, higher spot-market purchases, increased electricity costs, and potential power cuts if hydropower falls short.

Jagoda called for urgent investigations into the procurement process, insisting that any mismanagement or corruption should not be passed on to the public.Denying any wrongdoing, the government has said it is waiting for the lab report.

by Saman Indrajith ✍️

News

Greenland dispute has compelled Europe to acknowledge US terrorising world with tariffs – CPSL

Published

6 hours ago

2026/01/19

Thilina Walpola

Dr Weerasinghe

The Communist Party of Sri Lanka yesterday (18) alleged that the US was terrorising countries with unfair tariffs to compel them to align with its bigot policies.

CPSL General Secretary Dr. G. Weerasinghe said so responding to The Island query regarding European countries being threatened with fresh tariffs over their opposition to proposed US take-over of autonomous Danish territory Greenland.

US President Donald Trump has declared a 10% tariff on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland with effect from 1 February but could later rise to 25% – and would last until a deal was reached. Targeted countries have condemned the US move.

Dr. Weerasinghe pointed out that none of the above-mentioned countries found fault with the US imposing taxes on countries doing trade with Russia and Iran. Now that they, too, had been targeted with similar US tactics, the CP official said, underscoring the pivotal importance of the world taking a stand against Trump’s behaviour.

Referring to the coverage of the Greenland developments, Dr. Weerasinghe said that news agencies quoted UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as having said that the move was “completely wrong”, while French President Emmanuel Macron called it “unacceptable.

Dr. Weerasinghe said that Sri Lanka, still struggling to cope up with the post-Aragalaya economic crisis was also the target of discriminating US tariff policy. The top CPSL spokesman said that the recent US declaration of an immediate 25% increase in tariff on imports from countries doing business with Iran revealed the prejudiced nature of the US strategy. “Iran is one of our trading partners as well as the US. Threat of US tariffs on smaller countries is nothing but terrorism,” Dr. Weerasinghe said, stressing the urgent need for the issue at hand to be taken up at the UN.

Responding to another query, Dr. Weerasinghe cited the US targeting India over the latter’s trade with Russia as a case in point. He was commenting on the recent reports on India’s Reliance Industries and state-owned refiners sharply cutting crude oil imports from Russia. The CPSL official said that the EU wouldn’t have even bothered to examine the legitimacy of US tariff action if they hadn’t been targeted by the same action.

Perhaps, those who now complain of US threats over the dispute regarding Greenland’s future owed the world an explanation, Dr. Weerasinghe said. The reportage of the abduction of Venezuela’s President and the first lady underscored that the US intervened because it couldn’t bear the Maduro administration doing trade with China and other countries considered hostile to them, Dr. Weerasinghe said.

The CPSL official said that the NPP couldn’t turn a blind eye to what was happening. Just praising the US wouldn’t do Sri Lanka any good, he said, adding that the Greenland development underscored that the US under Trump was not concerned about the well-being of any other country but pursued an utterly one-sided strategy.

The US dealings with the NPP government, particularly the defence MoU should be examined taking into consideration US tariffs imposed on Sri Lanka at the onset of the second Trump administration and ongoing talks with the US, Dr. Weerasinghe.

By Shamindra Ferdinando ✍️

News

MPs’ Pension Repeal Bill challenged in Supreme Court

Published

6 hours ago

2026/01/19

Thilina Walpola

Two petitions have been filed before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the proposed Parliamentary Pensions (Repeal) Bill, which seeks to scrap pensions for legislators.

The Bill, presented to Parliament on 7 January by the Minister of Justice and National Integration, has drawn strong opposition from retired parliamentarians who argue that it undermines the rights of former lawmakers and their dependents.

One petition has been filed by former MPs M. M. Premasiri, Nawarathne Banda, Nishantha Deepal Gunasekara, and Saman Siri Herath, who served in Parliament from 2004 to 2010. The other petition is by former MPs Piyasoma Upali (1988–2004) and Upali Sarath Danstan Amarasiri (1988–2000).

The petitioners argue that former MPs, many of whom dedicated decades of service to the nation, often sacrificed careers and business prospects for public duty. They contend that retired MPs and some widows rely solely on their pensions, which range between Rs. 60,000 and Rs. 80,000, amounts they say are insufficient to cover basic living and medical expenses.

The petitions seek a declaration that the Bill requires approval by the people through a referendum and a two-thirds majority in Parliament, citing constitutional safeguards.

The petitions were filed through Attorney-at-Law Sanath Wijewardane and are to be supported by Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe PC.

By AJA Abeynayake ✍️