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| Thursday, 12 August 2004 |
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Vanniyela Aththo free to roam jungles again From Florence Wickramage in Dambana Environment and Natural Resources Minister A.H.M. Fowzie agreed to arrive at a working agreement with Aadivaasi (Vanniyela Aththo) Chieftain Uruvarige Vanniyalage Aththo to involve their community in protecting the jungles which had for centuries been the traditional homelands of the Aadivaasi Community. The Minister agreed to demarcate an extent of 1,500 acres of the Maduru Oya National Park for the use of the community. The Minister, the first Environmental and Natural Resources Minister to visit the Aadivassi Community on Aadivaasi Day - August 9, disclosed this at a discussion the Minister had with the Aadivaasi Chieftain at Dambana on Tuesday. Minister Fowzie also agreed to set up as a pilot project a group comprising of Wildlife Field Officers and educated aadivaasi youth to protect the jungle whereby the aadivaasi youth would be given an opportunity to actively participate in supporting the Ministry to protect the jungles from unscrupulous people who engage in illegal poaching, timber felling etc. Whilst approving the collection of bees honey and yams from the jungle for food by the community, the Minister said that Vanniyala Aththo have agreed to suspend the hunting of animals for a period of two years. In the meantime the Aadivaasi Chieftain agreed to plant trees during the Tree Planting month this year and to continue it as an annual event. Minister Fowzie also promised to issue identity cards to members of the community as recommended by the Chieftain to enable them to depend on the jungles for their livelihood. At the request of the Chieftain, the Minister inspected the Pahurukandiya Waterway in the Maduru Oya National Park and promised to develop it into a tank for the use of the community in their agriculture and cash crop cultivations. During the visit the Minister opened a Cultural Centre and Museum built by the Government and designed in keeping with the environment where the community could participate in their cultural rituals and also exhibit for posterity ancient indigenous implements used by their ancestors. Several members of the community performed the traditional "Kiri Koraha" to bless the Minister and other officials. Among those who accompanied the Minister on his two-day official visit to Dambana and Polonnaruwa were Director General, Department of Wildlife Conservation Dayananda Kariyawasam and Forest Conservator General Sarath Fernando. |
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