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The importance of enacting laws and enforcing laws to protect the environment
By Sumudu Chamara
The world is fighting its greatest crisis since the Second World War, and one that has wrought a more far-reaching impact, having spread beyond Europe and East Asia. However, despite the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic, we cannot forget the many issues we were already burdened with before it reared its ugly head – and some of these may entail more severe consequences.
One such global issue that keeps intensifying with each passing year is environmental destruction, which dramatically increased in the past century. To this end, scientists claim that it is equally important that we limit human activities that exacerbate environmental destruction while taking steps to repair the damaged environment.
In the past few years, Sri Lanka’s environment has faced massive issues due to deforestation, settlements, agriculture, pollution, and development projects, but these topics, which were discussed widely before, receive relatively less attention now due to the pandemic. However, the issue remains, and in fact is worsening as we fight the pandemic.
The International Day for Biological Diversity, or biodiversity, is celebrated on 22 May of every year, and the term biodiversity refers to the existence of a large number of different types of animals and plants which come together to form a balanced ecosystem. Even though we tend to address the previously mentioned issues individually, the loss of biodiversity is the bigger issue they all lead to.
The Morning spoke to several environmentalists to understand the concept and consequences of biodiversity loss, and the state of biodiversity in Sri Lanka.
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The endemic Sri Lanka Spurfowl[/caption]
Factors affecting biodiversity
According to environmentalists, biodiversity has three main components; namely ecosystem diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity.
Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle (BCRC) Convenor Supun Lahiru Prakash said that even though there are a multitude of factors causing biodiversity loss, he is of the opinion that climate change remains the most potent threat. He added that Sri Lanka, however, has done little research into how it affects biodiversity.
“In my opinion, climate change is the top reason that causes biodiversity loss, but adequate studies on how climate change causes and exacerbates biodiversity loss have not been conducted in Sri Lanka. However, some of the studies conducted in other parts of the world identify climate change to be the main factor that causes biodiversity loss. It affects biodiversity in many ways – due to global warming, the sea level rises, affecting coastal ecosystems. This can also cause adverse changes in animals such as amphibians, and affects their distribution. The more the temperature rises, the more some animals tend to seek habitats located in higher altitudes. When this happens, animals living in higher altitudes face threats, mainly due to competition.”
“Another reason that causes biodiversity loss is habitat-related issues, namely habitat loss and habitat fragmentation,” Prakash said, adding that habitat loss in Sri Lanka can be discussed in both qualitative and quantitative terms, which means that there is a decline in both the quality and quantity of habitats.
“However, even if certain species continue to have a habitat, they face issues if it is fragmented. Due to habitat fragmentation, animals face a multitude of issues – it poses a serious threat to their lives and other activities. Linear development activities such as building railroads, highways, and transmission lines, as well as creating new villages, also directly contribute to the loss and fragmentation of natural habitats. These human activities change animals’ natural behaviour, such as mobility and breeding patterns, and this in turn causes their population to split into smaller, isolated groups.
“According to research conducted in South Africa, even elephants tend to refuse and distance themselves from linear development activities. Also, when habitat fragmentation occurs, it creates an environment that is more prone to being invaded by invasive alien species.”
Another factor that directly and significantly causes biodiversity loss, both in Sri Lanka and around the world, is the illegal trade of environmentally-sensitive goods, Prakash highlighted, noting that the illegal trade of timber, medicinal plants, rare flowers, and animals are the most common examples. Killing animals for ivory, skin, meat, and teeth, as well as capturing live animals to be sold, are unfortunately very prevalent practices in Sri Lanka.
He opined that implementation of the law against such offenses is currently very weak, which is likely to encourage those engaged in such, which poses a long-term threat to the country’s biodiversity. “This issue is not being addressed satisfactorily in Sri Lanka, and we can see that the law is not being properly implemented against those responsible. This poor enforcement of the law gives a message to the public that they can engage in illegal trade of environmentally-sensitive goods and get away with it. Letting such harmful activities continue without taking necessary steps to control them causes a decline in animal population to a great degree, which causes biodiversity loss.”
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The Nepenthes distillatoria plant which is endemic to Sri Lanka[/caption]
Adding that non-eco-friendly development activities is another reason that has led to severe biodiversity loss in the recent past, Prakash stated: “In Sri Lanka, when implementing development projects, we still rely on an environmental impact assessment, which is based on the individual project. When a single project does not show much impact on the environment concerned, we go ahead with the project. However, we do not take into account the cumulative impact of all these projects, and the consequent environmental degradation and biodiversity loss, which is massive.
“That is why the world has taken the initiative to choose what is called a strategic environmental assessment instead, which involves taking identified geographical areas into consideration and identifying the areas in which development projects can be implemented, and where residential areas can be established. This also involves identifying the areas that need to be conserved due to environmental and archeological reasons. Such mechanisms allow us to identify the areas that are most suitable for specific activities, without implementing all types of projects in all areas, and it helps plan projects in a less harmful manner.”
He added: “Our planning mechanisms, including those involving the environment, should be updated. Our National Environment Act was enacted in 1980, and that is how the environmental impact basement came into existence. It has been decades, but we have not taken steps to update and upgrade our systems, which in turn have allowed short-sighted project plans. These activities have directly caused biodiversity loss.”
He emphasised that even though biodiversity loss is inevitable due to the growing population, it can be minimised. He noted: “When the population of a country increases, there may be an instance where that country has to destroy natural habitats in various ways. But we can always minimise the damage by planning such activities in a more judicious manner. Also, there are sensitive areas that are not situated in protected areas, but Sri Lanka does not have a proper plan to protect such areas. Instead we have taken decisions that pave the way for their destruction – one such move is the revocation of the Circular No. 5/2001.”
When it comes to conserving biodiversity, the top priority should be ensuring the Government’s commitment to protecting biodiversity, which directly and indirectly affects a number of sectors such as tourism and agriculture, according to Prakash.
He noted how the country, and especially its tourism sector, can directly benefit from protecting biodiversity, by conserving it and promoting it under a proper plan. As Sri Lanka’s small landmass and rich biodiversity make it one of the few countries where tourists can visit a number of different ecosystems within a short period of time, it can market this advantage to uplift the tourism sector. He stressed: “It is because we do not use biodiversity sustainably to uplift the country’s economy that we often consider it a burden to have to protect biodiversity. We have failed to identify the potential benefits.”
He also said that if steps are taken to conserve Sri Lanka’s biodiversity, the future generations would be able to assess its true value and benefit from it. He explained: “Sri Lanka has a rich genetic diversity. However, due to the lack of technology, we have to study such aspects of biodiversity; we do not even know how important genetic diversity is, and what we can do with it. We have to protect them for future generations, so that one day, when we have necessary technology and facilities, we can study them properly and put them to good use.”
The state of biodiversity
When asked what they think of the current state of Sri Lanka’s biodiversity, both Prakash and environmental lawyer Dr. Jagath Gunawardena said that the country’s biodiversity is in a critical state, and that the situation may exacerbate unless the necessary steps are taken soon.
Dr. Gunawardana explained: “We could analyse all the previous data on the endangered categories of species and say that Sri Lanka is going from bad to worse. There is a national red list that is updated periodically, and what we have seen in all periodical updates is that the threatened group of animals and plants, including critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable categories, is increasing with every red list that has been prepared. This shows that the bad situation that was there initially is changing into a much worse situation, which is a huge problem particularly for species found only in Sri Lanka, known as endemic species.
“Also, when it comes to habitats, we still have not conducted a habitat assessment, which is done under certain criteria from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). We have to follow a set of criteria to decide whether the ecosystem is nearing collapse, or is critically endangered and is in a collapsible state. We have not yet done it, but if we do, we will find that our ecosystems are facing a lot of issues. Some of them have already been destroyed beyond repair or regeneration.
“When it comes to certain species of animals and plants, we are in a bad situation that is becoming much worse, because the red list categories of threatened species is getting longer and longer with every new evaluation of Sri Lanka. Our biodiversity is at risk; we have to change this.”
Expressing similar sentiments, Prakash said: “Sri Lanka’s biodiversity is clearly in a very critical state, and even though public institutions working to protect the environment had the chance to work independently, some of the recent developments have changed that situation. Also, the present Government has been seen belittling the importance of certain officials and protected areas, which not only gives the wrong impression, but also poses a severe threat to our ecosystems.”
He noted that he has observed an inconsistency between the decisions taken by the authorities and the actual decisions required to protect the environment.
Proposed solutions
When asked what immediate steps can and should be taken to stop environmental degradation and the consequent biodiversity loss, Dr. Gunawardena said: “There should be a comprehensive conservation plan, and we have to see to it that no more natural ecosystems, be it forests, wetlands, or any other form of ecosystem, will be sacrificed for any purpose; and those who do so illegally should be prosecuted. Most of the species are not legally protected, especially when it comes to invertebrates, and sometimes, the enforcement of the law to take action regarding protected species is also poor.
“There is insufficient manpower in the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and Department of Forest Conservation (DFC), and steps need to be taken to increase their legal protection and establish a better law enforcement mechanism, to allow these officers to work properly. Also, public awareness campaigns should be conducted, while getting the support of non-governmental organisations and interested people.”
Responding to the same question, Prakash added that Sri Lanka should have a proper environmental policy that does not change with each new government every couple of years, and more importantly, a proper environment authority should be created to implement it properly.
He noted that under this policy, when it comes to matters pertaining to the country’s environment, different institutions should be able to work collaboratively, as the lack of collaboration hinders such institutions’ activities.
He explained: “Due to lack of co-ordination and co-operation, the activities of institutions tasked with protecting environment such as the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and the Department of Forest Conservation (DFC) may be hindered by the activities and priorities of other institutions such as the Department of Irrigation and Department of Agriculture. All stakeholders should be on the same page and discuss these matters. Otherwise, we will not be able to see any positive results. Also, we cannot forget the role of grassroots-level officers, especially wildfire officers, who are also a part of this process. They do not have adequate human and physical resources, and it is by providing them with necessary resources that we can get their contribution to protect our biodiversity.”
One of the sentiments the environmentalists kept emphasising is that while laws and policies are necessary, implementing and updating them properly is the key. Also, the citizens’ responsibility in this regard cannot be ignored – they have a responsibility to not destroy the environment, and at the same time raise a voice against those who do.
