English - Convention on Biological Diversity

TABLE 4.4: Trends in deforestation and reforestationYearNumber of forestoffences recodedVolume of illegaltimberDetected (cu m)1998 4193 25891999 3928 29122000 4626 56622001 4344 42012002 4157 45272003 3093 27892004 2842 44662005 2758 33342006 2797 26022007 1097 884Source: Central Bank Annual Report for 2007 (2008)• Trends in deforestation andreforestationWith regard to illegal activities in forests,there has been a decrease in forest offencesand illegal timber detections (Table 4.4)despite increased monitoring. This has beenfacilitated by boundary demarcation of forestreserves and a move towards participatoryforest management in selected areas (seeAppendix III).Coral is the principal source of quicklime for SriLanka’s construction industry, supplyingapproximately 90% of the lime in use. Part of this issupplied by sea coral mining. Most records of seacoral mining are from the west and south coastalareas.Sea coral removal has declined in the coastalstretch between Ambalangoda and Dickwellafrom 7,660 tons in 1984 to 4,020 and 2,200tons respectively in 1994 and 1998, due tobetter law enforcement (CZMP, 2004). TheCoast Conservation Department also recordsa decrease in beach sand mining in coastalareas from 137,800 m 3 in 1991 to 32000 m 3 in2001 due to better surveillance in the coastalzone, although river sand mining in the majorrivers where this occurs increased from25,00,000 m 3 in 1991 to 40,00,000 m 3 in 2001(CZMP, 2004)• Trends in reduction of chena cultivation and encroachment for cash cropsOver the years there have been several projects in the forest and wildlife sub-sectors to wean local people away fromdestructive practices such as chena cultivation in the Dry Zone and encroachment for tea cultivation in the Wet Zone.Examples are the Protected Area Management and Wildlife Conservation Project carried out by the DWLC (2001-2008);the GEF funded Southwest Rainforest Project; The GEF/UNDP funded Southwest Rainforest Conservation Project of theForest Department (2000-2006); and The Aus-Aid funded Sri Lanka Australia Natural Resources Management Project(SLANRMP) of the Forest Department (2003-2008). These projects have been successful in pilot testing approaches towean people away from destructive agricultural practices through community participation, and the establishment ofmicro-credit schemes for improved livelihoods and training. However, these approaches need to be more widelyimplemented to benefit all forested areas in the country.• Trends in the human elephant conflictForest clearing in the Dry Zone for agriculture and settlements have caused disruption of elephant migration routesleading to severe human–elephant conflict. This has increased over the years with at least about 50 human deaths and150-195 elephant deaths per year over the past 15 years (MoENR, 2009), in addition to large scale damage to crops andhuman habitations (National Environmental Outlook, 2006).• Trends in population densityWhile population density in Sri Lanka’s Dry Zone is 170/km 2 , density in the biodiversity-rich south-western Wet Zone is650/ km 2 (MoENR, 2009). A burgeoning human population in the island has compounded the loss of biodiversity,Fourth National Report to the CBD: Sri Lanka 90