Sri Lanka’s world known heritage Sinharaja, Vihara hena, Kotapola, is used in the building process of a hotel within an area of 225 acre. A letter from the Central environmental authority (CEA) was sent on 17th March, 2009 to a person named Prema Cooray allowing permission to build the above mentioned hotel and a bio centre within.

Enormous ancient trees are already being chopped down without any feeling, for the above mentioned building purposes in this area of 225 acre. According to the naturalists and environmental organizations, the above mentioned letter has specially allowed permission to build a bio center within the same area. An issue has risen as to why a bio center is needed within a hotel and in this specific area. According to the naturalists and environmental organizations the gravity of the construction of the complex is to another grim step towards plunder of local genes.

Vihara hena, that is in Sinharaja natural reserve, where the complex is being built, is an important area with regard to bio-diversity. It is so important for the fauna and flora of Sri Lanka that the cabinet has approved to take it over from Land Reforms Commission to be left as a part of Sinharaja natural reserve.

Environmentalists point out the biggest issue here is allowing a hotel complex to be built in an area that is very sensitive with regard to bio-diversity. They complain that CEA that should be protecting the environment is engaged in encouraging the plunder and selling of genes to other countries. The very unfortunate situation is that, it is revealed that in the complex built with the consultation of the US Company laboratories are built that could analyze and experiment on genes, is under the consultation of a very known professor on environmental science in Sri Lanka.

Sinharaja is a virgin forest and most values of it are unknown to us and yet to be found. There are so many things that researches should be carried out in the future. Building a hotel in the forest will expose the forest area to foreigners more than the required amount causing disturbance.

Authorities are not aware of the exact reasons or the intensions of the foreigners who visit our country. In this situation, any foreigner is capable of carrying our valuable resources from the exposed forest without any difficulty. Once a valuable gene has been taken from us we will never be able to recover the loss. For an example, the tragedy of the Sri Lanka endemic plant kothala himbutu (Salacia Reticulata).

Authorities should be more carful when decisions like these are made or it will have adverse effects on the future of the country. Because once lost we cannot regain them back.

Picture taken by the Young Zoologist Association of Sri Lanka