Poachers, encroachers responsible for forest fires
By Ifham Nizam
Leading herpetologist Anslem de Silva says rather than accidents, poachers and encroachers were responsible for forest fires particularly at the Knuckles Range.
He told The Island on Monday (27) that his ongoing study indicated that most of the endemic species perish in fires that affect acres of forest.
The veteran scientist believes that not only strict laws but enforcement is needed to apprehend those who were responsible for damaging a World Heritage site.
Anslem, who had done extensive studies on the Knuckles Forest and published two monographs, says skinks, gheckos, snakes and amphibians are the most killed animals during a fire.
"The saddest part is that some amphibians, which are confined to Knuckles deposit eggs in the leaf litter and fires of this nature could be the cause to some animals becoming extinct," he added.
Meanwhile, the Forest Conservation Department says that the fire that erupted in the Knuckles Forest Range on Saturday had been completely extinguished.
The fire erupted on Saturday night destroying more than 50 acres, according to the Department officials.
They told The Island that they fought for nearly 14 hours to extinguish the fire that was spreading fast due to dry weather and windy conditions.
Sri Lanka Air Force helicopters, around 75 Army personnel, police, the officers of the Forest Conservation Department and the residents of the Knuckles Range joined in the effort to extinguish the fire.
Police investigations are underway to ascertain the cause of the fire.
The Knuckles Forest range is of significance as it was added as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO last year. It covers parts of Kandy and Matale districts and is home to almost a third of the island’s flowering plant species.
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