50 more Forests declared under Wanaspati programme

The Ministry of Environment has taken steps to declare an additional 50 forests as protected reserves, Under the 'Wanaspati' National Programme.

With these steps the total number of forests declared as reserves under the Vanaspati programme has now reached 79, the ministry said.

The relevant gazette notifications for declaring these areas as reserves, centered in the districts of Ampara, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, and Matara have been signed by the Minister of Environment, Dhammika Patabendi.

As a result, a total of 12,989.73 hectares of forest land has been designated as protected reserves. This includes 6,255.77 hectares in the Ampara District, 275.811 hectares in the Matara District, 683.74 hectares in the Badulla District, 2,778.345 hectares in the Nuwara Eliya District, and 2,996.06 hectares in the Nuwara Eliya/Badulla districts.

Declaring existing non-protected forests with minimal human activity in Sri Lanka as reserves has been a key priority of the new government’s Ministry of Environment. As part of a Programme to conserve identified forest areas and preserve them for future generations, the 'Wanaspati' National Programme was launched in 2025.