Irked environmentalists demand venue change for ‘Deep Jungle fest’

A biodiversity hotspot has been chosen as the location for the event titled ‘Deep Jungle Fest’

• The event is being organised in the vicinity of the Hurulu Eco Park in Habarana
• The Offices of the President and Prime Minister too had issued recommendation letters to proceed with the Musical Show
• The event site is adjacent to forest land where elephants reside at this time of the year
• Short-sighted decisions have negatively impacted Habarana; a tourism hotspot

Habarana, a biodiversity hotspot and a sensitive environment for elephants and other fauna and flora, has been chosen as the location for an event titled ‘Deep Jungle Fest’ and scheduled to be held from February 17-20; the aim being to promote the country’s tourism sector. According to the Facebook event page the organizers intend to host this event annually while assuring that there will be no negative impact on the environment. But on the contrary the event includes a line-up of performances by various local and global artistes and it is unclear as to how the sounds and bright lighting would be controlled during the event and how the participants would ensure that the location and surrounding areas wouldn’t be polluted so that it wouldn’t disturb the behaviour of creatures in the wild.

Can the noise be controlled?

Habarana is a tourism hotspot largely due to the Great Elephant Gathering at Minneriya, but short-sighted decisions have negatively impacted this one-of-a-kind natural phenomenon in South East Asia. Former Department of Wildlife Conservation Director General and prominent elephant researcher Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya explained how events of this nature could further impact the natural environment. “I fully appreciate that the Government of Sri Lanka is trying hard to promote tourism.  But short sighted decisions made by politicians and bureaucrats have resulted in adversely manipulating the water levels in the Minneriya Reservoir in the dry season since 2019 that has virtually decimated the Great Elephant Gathering with elephant numbers being reduced to less than a 100 elephants in 2021 and 2022. Having less than 100 elephants in Minneriya no longer qualifies the latter to stake a claim of being the site of the Great Elephant Gathering because there are plenty of sites within the Asian Elephant range states that tourists are able to observe around 100 elephants or less,” he said.

“In addition to Sri Lanka losing the advantage of hosting the largest elephant gathering in Asia, data that I have collected on the elephant population in Minneriya shows that the elephants are under severe stress due to lack of adequate fodder for them; as depicted by the poor body condition of the adult females and young calves.  There is scientific and anecdotal evidence that very young calves are dying of malnutrition in the Minneriya population. Having spent a stressful dry season due to inadequate grazing grounds, the Minneriya elephant population is now in the forests of the Gal Oya Forest Reserve and Hurulu Eco Park where they traditionally feed during the wet season (from November to April),” he revealed.

I fully appreciate that the Government of Sri Lanka is trying hard to promote tourism.  But short sighted decisions made by politicians and bureaucrats have resulted in adversely manipulating the water levels in the Minneriya Reservoir in the dry season since 2019 that has virtually decimated the Great Elephant Gathering
- Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya Elephant Researcher

Speaking about the event, Dr. Pilapitiya said that it is taking place just a couple of hundred metres from the forests of Gal Oya Forest Reserve and Hurulu Eco Park and is scheduled to continue for several nights.  “The event site is adjacent to forest land where elephants reside at this time of the year. The noise pollution from this event is enough to scare and put the

elephants under stress at a time their conservation future is at stake; even without the impacts of this musical event. This will definitely increase the stress level of the elephants resulting in them possibly moving away from that area.  Moving away from this area could mean that they would be going into human habitation at a time when the Maha season crop is ripening and attractive to elephants; meaning that Human Elephant Conflict (HEC) in the local area could increase.  Already HEC has taken its toll not only on the farmer communities, but also quite severely on the elephant population since 2019 when the mismanagement of the water levels commenced. The noise and disturbance from this event will certainly aggravate the HEC situation as well as be stressful to elephants and other wildlife in the area.  So by trying to promote tourism in Habarana in the short-term, Sri Lanka may be doing serious damage to elephant viewing tourism in the long-term, which is the lifeline of the tourism industry in Habarana,” he underscored.

“This is once again an example of ignorant short-sighted decisions creating long-term economic damage to the local wildlife tourism industry in Habarana.  There are so many places in the North Central and Central Provinces that this event can be located without adverse impacts on wildlife. Instead, the organizers and the authorities want to hold this event in forested areas teaming with wildlife when everyone knows that we ask visitors in wildlife parks to keep silent, so that we don’t disturb wildlife and stress them out. While the land may not be in a protected area, it is in the midst of protected areas.  Don’t the organizers and authorities- who permitted this to take place- realise the noise travels? This event should not have been permitted to be held in this location. I call upon the Central Environmental Authority to enforce its noise pollution standards to this event; after all the law should be enforced on all polluting activities evenly and not selectively,” Dr. Pilapitiya further stressed.

Contravention of President’s ‘Green Growth’ Policy

The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society in a statement released expressed its concerns with regards to the aforementioned event scheduled to be held within the borders of a wildlife sanctuary that is frequented by wild animals. 
“The event is being organised in the vicinity of the Hurulu Eco Park in Habarana. The Society is perturbed that such an event has been provided approval or endorsements by Government statutory bodies as the noise pollution that will be emitted by the festival will be a hindrance to the sanctity of the wild animals in the locality.

“Wildlife sanctuaries are designated areas where animals and plants are well-protected from external disturbances. The goal of having wildlife sanctuaries and forest reserves is to provide a comfortable environment for the animals inhabiting the area. Even in Sri Lanka, several animal species are on the verge of extinction as their primary natural habits are being rapidly decimated. An event of this nature will only add to the issues that this locality already has. The location where this event has been earmarked to be held is effectively in the vicinity of a wildlife sanctuary where the habitat needs to be protected, allowing animals and plants a safe zone for breeding, and comfortably surviving. The landscapes in wildlife sanctuaries should be well-protected from urbanization, pollution levels, both noise and other, and destruction.

The event will be held in a village, away from the main town. They don’t have to obtain our permission as this area doesn’t come under our purview, nor is it a forest reserve or any such protected area - Forest Department Official 

“With the President of the Country, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe pursuing a policy of “Green Growth,” this type of event organised in a wildlife locality contravenes the policy the government is trying to follow. It provides a direct negative impact on climate change too, and having the Prime Minister’s office along with the Ministry of Tourism and The Department of Forest Conservation endorsing the event proves that the policy driven from the top is not being understood or is ignored at all levels.

“In Sri Lanka, human-driven fragmentation continues to be one of the biggest drivers of the destruction of our natural environment. Chopping down forests, encroaching into forested areas for agriculture, or using natural territories for urbanization, collectively leads to fragmentation. With the already problematic situation of the “Elephant Gathering” being lost for the whole area, the organizers themselves who earn from the very animals they are trying to destroy should know better.
“We urge the organizers to move the event to another location where the sanctity of our natural environment and animals could be kept intact,” the statement read.

Event organizers deny claims

It is learned that the Offices of the President and Prime Minister too had issued recommendation letters to proceed with the event. Facilities mentioned on the event page include camping, hammock lodging, free water and bathing and lavatory services. Addressing claims regarding the disturbance to wildlife, the event page includes a detailed explanation of how the event would not have any impact on the behaviour of elephants and wildlife. The explanation states that the elephant numbers have reduced from 402 to 20 within a span of five years from 2016-2021 and that elephants do not roam the area in question (or rather the location of the event) as this is the dry season. It further states that the location is outside protected areas and buffer zones of the Hurulu Eco Park and the organizers claim that they have obtained all information regarding the location from area residents and other parties prior to organizing the event. 

Event location is not a protected area:  Wildlife authorities 

Environmentalists however claim that the event location in question borders a protected area and falls within the Karandagaswewa Elephant corridor. A letter issued by the Department of the Wildlife Conservation requests organizers to provide them with more details regarding the event. However when contacted, DWC Director General M. G. C Sooriyabandara said that the event doesn’t come under their purview and to make inquiries from the Forest Department. An official at the Forest Department, speaking on conditions of anonymity, said that the event in question is not held inside a Jungle even though its title includes the names ‘Deep Jungle Fest’. “The event will be held in a village, away from the main town. They don’t have to obtain our permission as this area doesn’t come under our purview, nor is it a forest reserve or any such protected area,” the official further said. The Forest Department which had earlier issued a letter allowing the organizers to proceed with the event under strict conditions had revoked their permission letter as of February 13, 2022.

Event organizers setting up the location for the event