News
‘No-fire’ zone within Matale’s Wiltshire mountain area
The Forest Department has declared a ‘no-fire’ zone within the Wiltshire mountain area in the Matale district to mitigate the damage caused by man-made fires to the knuckles forest reserve, known worldwide for its beauty and biodiversity.
With the wind speed increasing, often fires started by hunters and holiday makers spread wide, engulfing parts of the reserve, environmentalists say. The situation becomes worse during the dry weather period. They say the damage to biodiversity is colossal.
They call on the Forest Conservation Department to take speedy action and declare a fire belt around the Wiltshire mountain area.
Insisting that Wiltshire needs to be protected for posterity, the environmentalists say they are concerned about the damage being caused to rare plants and animal species.