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Park boundaries going to courts
By Dhananjani Silva
An environmental lobby is opposing the decision taken by the then Environment and Natural Resources Minister A. H. M. Fowzie to alter the boundaries of the Bundala National Park.

A gazette notification setting out this decision was published on 23.07.2004.
“This decision would result in reducing the extent of the Park from about 6,216 hectares to about 3,698.01 hectares, almost an half of the original extent”, said Director (Projects) of the Centre for Environmental Justice Dilena Pathiragoda.

According to him, the park has been declared a sanctuary and was later declared a national reserve and a national park. It was also declared as a wetland of international importance by the Ramasar Convention in 1992.
The park has been included as one of the seven protected areas brought under the Protected Area Management and Wildlife Conservation Project of the Wildlife Conservation Department as well.

Asked if the boundaries have already been altered, Mr. Pathiragoda said so far nothing has been done and therefore his organisation has filed a case requesting court to quash the gazette notice and direct the present Environment Minister to implement the National Policy on Wetlands.

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