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Friday, 10 March 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
From left: Thilan Anuradha – Group Director, Chief Stratergy officer Blue Mountain, Anura Sathurusinghe – Conservator General, Forest Department, Dr Hiran Hettiarachchi – Group Chairman, Blue Mountain, Anil Kholi - Senior CEO, Blue Mountain, and Nishantha Edirisinghe – Deputy Conservator
The Blue Mountain Group (BMG) recently reiterated its commitment to protecting the planet and spearheading national reforestation efforts by initiating the ‘Transforming Sri Lanka towards a greener tomorrow’ project.
Conceptualised by BMG as part of its long-term efforts to be a responsible corporate citizen, the project will be conducted in partnership with the Forest Department of Sri Lanka to ensure the reforestation of 125 acres of land in Wilpotha over the next 10 years.
The official partnership agreement between both parties was signed by Dr. Hiran Hettiarachchi– Group Chairman, Blue Mountain Group and S.A.A. Sathurusinghe– Director General of the Forest Department, in the presence of Government officials, the management and staff from both organisations and representatives from the planting zones. Commenting on the partnership, Dr. Hettiarachchi (MBBS-Colombo and MBA-Australia) said: “The Blue Mountain Group is the first private-sector company in the country to partner with the Forest Department to implement an environmental project of this scale and magnitude. The project was conceptualised to assist and support national reforestation efforts and is a non-commercial initiative that we hope will to protect our planet and the environment. We are honoured to join hands with the Forest Department, to make our dream for a greener Sri Lanka a reality.”
‘Transforming Sri Lanka towards a greener tomorrow’ was established in Wilpotha (situated in the Puttalam District), in keeping with national forest enhancement strategies. The project will help to safeguard some of Sri Lanka’s endangered forest sites, and in doing so will protect the rich biodiversity of flora and fauna that these unique habitats support. The project will ensure the removal of invasive plants and will facilitate the planting of a variety of native plant species, especially those that have been identified as endangered. The project team will also attempt to counter deforestation that is caused by illegal felling, fires and farming – all of which cause soil erosion and have a detrimental impact on these forest areas and the environment at large.
The project will have a multitude of environmental benefits whilst ensuring effective biodiversity conservation and habitat management on a large scale in key forest zones. The initiative will also support eco-tourism, and will attract more travellers to the Wilpotha Reserve, who will be able to see a rich variety of plants, wildlife and birds due to the continued protection of their natural habitat.
Additionally, the project will also play a significant role in contributing to national carbon sequestration efforts, which are part of a long-term plan to reduce the country’s overall carbon footprint.
