Ilukpathakanda Reforestation to Mitigate Landslides & Rehabilitate Landslide Affected Area

July 6, 2018 � Sri Lanka has been facing many natural disasters in recent times most of them due to deforestation and destructive human activities within catchment and landslide prone areas. While these stories make headlines as they happen, the issues are quickly forgotten with no permanent solution implemented to reduce such disasters. In an effort to prevent further destruction to our catchment areas, reduce the threat of landslides and severe droughts facing our country, Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka a volunteer based environmental organization initiated several reforestation projects recently in Ratnapura District.

On July 6, 2018, a long-term reforestation and landslide mitigation project was kicked off by Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka and Multi Finance (Pvt) Ltd, at a 7 acre degraded state land in Illukpathakanda situated in Kalawana Divisional Secretariat bordering Sinharaja World Heritage Rainforest. This site has experienced a landslide in 2003 due to heavy deforestation and degradation of natural forest cover. It has since been declared as a landslide prone area. Unfortunately, despite the landslide and efforts by authorities to safeguard the hill, clearing of the natural vegetation has been continuing in the area threatening another disaster. Through this long-term project, Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka and Multi Finance (Pvt) Ltd hope to restore the degraded land and create awareness among villagers the need to protect vital catchment and landslide prone areas.

More than 60 attended the tree planting on July 6, including staff members of Multi Finance (Pvt) Ltd, members of Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka , local authorities and villagers in the area.