Realistic master plan for SL’s forest sector critical: WB

• Says it’s important since several million people live near and inside the forest in the country and use its resources directly or indirectly
• Master plan to adopt WB’s GRID approach 

Developing an effective and realistic master plan to conserve Sri Lanka’s forest ecosystem is critical for the development of the island nation, the World Bank (WB) stressed recently, since preserving the forest sector is essential for the economy, especially as the government is on the lookout for avenues to rise above the pandemic.

The WB has partnered with the government to develop the Forest Sector Master Plan 2021-2030 that would give new strategic direction for the country by adopting new sectoral priorities to face the challenging decades ahead.
“…building a consensus around the forest sector is critical for the country’s development, because restoration and sustainable, multiple use of the country’s forests bring benefits not only to those who directly use or live around forests, but also to the whole economy,” said World Bank Country Manager for Maldives and Sri Lanka Chiyo Kanda. Kanda made her comments at a high-level virtual event held on Friday (10) to announce the formulation of Sri Lanka’s Forest Sector Master Plan. She stressed that the benefits of the strategies and activities of the masterplan will extend to many sectors and economic activities, such as climate-smart agriculture, nature-based tourism, and health sector among others.

The masterplan will build on over 30 years of experience and lessons learned from the previous plans, and is expected to include new paradigms in managing Sri Lanka’s forests, better conserving and restoring forest landscapes and enhancing human well-being, serving the needs of the economy. Since the masterplan will adopt the Green, Resilient and Inclusive Development (GRID) approach of the WB, Kanda said doing so will allow Sri Lanka to support green, resilient, and inclusive recovery that tackles rising poverty and deepening inequality. This will be achieved while addressing both the immediate devastation brought about by COVID-19 and the longer-term challenge of climate change, shared Kanda.

While forests of Sri Lanka are unique and globally recognised and valued, the WB estimates that economically the gross value added by the production of major wood and wood products included in the national accounts was approximately Rs. 212.8 billion in 2019.

However, when various natural capital and ecosystem services provided by Sri Lanka’s forests are looked at, it is estimated at US$ 5.6 billion.

Since several million people live near and inside the forest in Sri Lanka and use its resources directly or indirectly, the WB said it acknowledges the important role of forests in supporting the rural poor and Sri Lanka’s economy.
“We fully support the development of this new strategy,” said Kanda referring to the upcoming master plan that will be formulated by the international agency with inputs from the Forest Department and other stakeholders in strategising and developing sustainable strategies and investment plans for the sector.