SSU3201- Environmental Journalism

As a Developing country Sri Lanka may faced different forms of environmental challenges in different era. It may be security harmful to the social and current trend in life pattern of people in Sri Lanka.So population are also increasing day by day .So their Satisfaction of the different set of needs and wants are increasing very rapidly. They are socially work accordingly different set modern life structures and patterns. So for that modern food items the way they behavior patterns are different from time to time according to the satisfaction of living conditions. High level of rapid economy growth rate is very severally effect to the environmental disasters. High economy growth rate and employment creation for poverty alleviation is increasing day by day. So for that balance between environmental development and the environment bettely implementation for the forest and environmental policies for sustainable development. Another mainly focused serious problem of deforestation and forest degration were severely affectionate the biodiversity, irrigator channels and resovories and highly serious consequence.

Sri Lanka areas coverage based on 32 about 6.5m due to the rapid increase in population growth and resulting land shortages and poverty. Agricultural production has increased mainly by countries natural forests to farmland.Sri Lanka as one of the smallest but most biologically diverse countries in Sri Lanka.

The Ministry of Public Administration parliamentary affairs and plantation industries through the department of wildlife conservation.80% of the total land area in Sri Lanka was covered by forest in 1994.Almost half of the forest cover was lost due to export oriented plantation agriculture and export of timber 1950.Today the forest cover has been develop strategies ped to 25% of the land area. Poor land use patterns in agriculture massive agricultural land settlement, land encroachments by landless poor and illicit felling are identified as the main casual factors. Evidently the rate of forest destruction has already caused acute shortages of forest produce and also severe environmental hazard in many parts of the country.Re forestation has been the responsibility of the forest Department over a period of 100 years. Reasonable and the stable market prices would encourage

Forestry is one of the major social environmental components that is very crucial for the well being of huminity.It is a foundation for the ecological factors. Considering about Sri Lanka forest regulatory policies may sometime technically relevant for the society. Sometime it may depend economically viable as well as not viable.Sri Lankan G.V may implement different set of policy formulation and strategies to control the disaster of forest in Sri Lanka.GV tend to deal with forests through programs and projects rather than as element of a national system. We already know forests are living system.

According to the article review mentioned substantial development is a process for meeting human development goals while maintaining the ability of natural resources systems to continue to provide the natural resources and eco system services upon which the economy and society

depend and as well as mainly high in sustainable development is the organizing principle for the sustaining finite resources necessary to provide for the needs of future generations of life of the planet. Accordingly the article we can identify sustainable development which is three dimensional models like economic ,environmental,socialy affectionate combination between criteria and indications are tools. Which can be used to conceptualize evaluate and implement suitable forest management may be assessed. Considering about the article review can identify more international and regional critriteria and indicators initiatives. The shifting of natural resource management responsibilities from central to state and local governments. Where this is occurring border decentralization process. According all countries should take part in the greening of the world through forest planting and conservation. Countries the right to use forests for their social and economic development needs. The sustainable use of forests will require sustainable patterns of production and consumption at a global level.

Forest should be managed to meet the social,economic,ecological cultural and spiritual needs of presents and future generations. The decline in forest cover is primarily due to rapid population growth and resulting land shortages and poverty. Agricultural production has increased mainly by converting natural forests to farmland. Nearly 800,000 natural forests have been lost to agricultural and residential use. Since 1948 as we already know Mahaweli Development project alone replaced 243,000ha of forests.

The most serious consequences of deforestation and forest degradation can be identified very easily. Life reduction in biodiversity, irregular water supply,shorterned life span of irrigation channels and reserviours.Accordingly to the central bank report we can identify Sri Lankan forestry sector contribution like is bill to the national economy. The first forest policy formulated in 1929 was considered ground breaking because it introduced new objectives for forest management.

Considering about resource management (1966-1967) a pre investment study on forest identity development carried out in 1959 concluded that with appropriate forest management. The needs for a wildlife conservation policy was long recognized but a national policy for wildlife conservation was only adopted in 1990.Accordingly to the national forest policy recognizes that home gardens other agroforesty systems and trees on non forest.

The 1988 management plans for the grants in the wet zone had prescribed 30 years harvest cycle with intermediate improvement cutting 15 years after selective cutting. Considering about wood requirements of the Sri Lankan forestry industry will depend on the future demand for various forest products and development of the domestic forestry industry. As we already know home garden rubber coconut product plantation supplied over 70% of the wood in 1993.Only about 4% come from forest plantations in 1995.Homegardens contributed around 49 % of the total slow supply.We can highlight according to the forest department records incidences of illegal cutting increased after the imposition of the logging ban. Illegal harvesting was more prominent in forest plantations than in natural forests.

Some analyst believe that friend of increasing illegal harvesting can be attributed to socio economic issues such as poverty unemployment and changes in the political environment that are not related to the logging ban.

According to the article review we can identify forest types protected under the logging ban.

We can identify the current logging ban covers 1049700ha of production natural forests, which represents approximately 31.3p of act natural forest which represents approximately 51.3% of all natural forests.

The forest types include 18% of lowland rainforests 27% of most monsoon forests 65% of the dry monsoon forests 54% of spare forests other forest were all previously included in protected areas and were therefore unaffected by the ban.

Our explanation of the natural forests for timber production and population pressure is the main causes of deforestation and forest degradation in Sri Lanka.

Considering about social implications about 70% of Sri Lankan 18.3% million people still live in rural areas and 30% of rural people live near the forest. They depend at least partly on forest resources. It is estimated that about 4 million people in Sri Lanka derive some benefit from NWFPS.

Development of alternative wood resources, non forest plantations can provide a viable alternative to timber from natural forest. Demarcation of forest boundaries is essential to prevent illegal felling and encroachment, Relaxation of the private timber transport permit system, Adequate resources for forest protection and Law enforcement, Community and participatory forest management improvement of the efficiency of forest institutional industries old and efficient equipment that has not been designed for small diamention logs.Increase the range of timber species utilization forest products and timber utilization research needs to strengthened to carry out more Co-coordinated products oriented research and to disseminate information with greater emphasis lesser-known timber species.

Development of a monetary system for sustainable forest manangement, Development of criteria and indication for sustainable forest Management

Development of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest Management is an important aspect.

Although there have been several international initiatives on the development of criteria and indicators. Forest after developing appropriate policies and relevant legislation, the main disadvantages of their option is the lack of any provision for harvesting and utilization of timber from natural forest or integrated sustainable multiple use of management.

The present protected areas system should be reviewed and expanded to establish protected area network.

Communities may develop management plans to prohibits extractive uses in selected parts of these forests to protect specific habitats. Prevent soil erosion, protect water resources or enhance recreational and aesthetic values.

Development of the forestry sector has long been recognized as a crucial factor in overall national development contributing not only to economic growth but also to environmental conservation and community well begins. The foresty sector has strong interrelations with other key sectors such as environmental,Agricultural,rural development land use energy industries water supply and tourism.It provides revenue needed forestry based products and services for other sectors to initiate productive economic activities for the benefit of the country and the community.

Hence there is a need to integrate forestry policies with agricultural rural development and other relevant sectriarl policies.Similarly the influence of external policies on the contribution of forest to sustainable development is also equally important. It is therefore necessary to identify broad inter-sector linkages and the principal institutes where there are significant policy interactions.

Formulation of a national forestry policy needs to be a process with provision for updating it as and when required, taking in to account, the social, economical, environmental and political trends and priorities of the country.

The National forestry policy of 1995 has been formulated based on this framework for sustainable development of the forestry sector for the benefit of present and future generations.

Accordingly for sustainability of the development process Sri Lankan G.V regulates different forms of policy formulations for maintain the national environmental management initiatives.

Reveled of ancient kings Sri Lanka has well developed as well as very strong religious benefit and myths,Interelationship with the human and the Animals and plants. As we already know ancient Ashoka pillar indices the production of plants and animals.

Considering about the colonial policy European colonial rule era we already know different set of plantation development in that era forest were so extensive at that time and that they know different set of limits to extracts on.

According to the colonial rule plantation economy was establish in proper and sustainable manner.90% of the land of Sri Lanka directly under governmental control and natural forest in to coffee and tea. Plantation during the period can identified high rate of soil erosion situation of river ban.Forests ordinance was passed in1885 due to shifting cultivation and forest reservations.