Nearly 1,500 acres of land in the Galgamuwa Divisional Secretariat Division of the Kurunegala District, have been used by a number of private businesses for economic crop cultivation, mineral extraction, and excavation of soil.
Several environmental organizations had filed a petition before the Supreme Court requesting the suspention of the activities, stating that environmental damages have been caused due to the forest clearings carried out there and that the human-elephant conflict in the North Western Province has been aggravated.
In delivering its judgment regarding the said petition, the Supreme Court has ordered that the entire area, including residual forest parts, incorporating the extent of 55 hectares of lands cleared in that manner, should be declared as a sanctuary or an elephant management reserve under Section 2(2) of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance.
According to the said order, a joint survey conducted by the Survey Department and the Department of Wildlife Conservation has identified an extent of 682 hectares of land to
be declared as a wildlife sanctuary.
Accordingly, with the agreement of the Irrigation Department, the Cabinet has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Environment to declare the said land area of 682 hectares as the Naakolagane Sanctuary under the provisions of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance, incorporating the maximum water limit of the nearby Palukadawala Tank.