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Planting sandalwood in religious premises:
A ‘scented’ gesture towards a green world
Shirley Wijesinghe
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Wood is a renewable and sustainable energy resource which is
considered environmentally friendly. Unlike fossil fuel, carbon dioxide
released by burning wood is recycled by regenerating forests and does
not permanently remain in the atmosphere.
Wood production requires less energy than other material such as
steel.
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Tharunyayata Hetak president Namal Rajapaksa planting a
Sandalwood sapling |
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has
forecasted that the global wood demand will increase from 3,500 million
cubic metres consumed in 1990 to over 5,000 million cubic metres
annually by 2010. It is an increase of 40 percent over 40 years.
According to this, the increase is equivalent to 78 million cubic
metres per year.
If we consider how the planting of forests has created an impact on
the environment, it is obvious that Sri Lanka too can make an impact on
the global environment through sustainable forest plantation.
However, unplanned development and timber utilization have led to a
mass scale destruction of forests and it has been around 5,700 acres
monthly in Sri Lanka alone.
At the current rate of exhaustion, rain forests may disappear from
the face of the Earth within 30 to 40 years.
Haritha Piyasa program led by Mahinda Chinthana outlines that it will
be implemented to reforest the hill country, slopes and protected
watershed areas with plants endemic to Sri Lanka.
Accordingly, steps will be taken to promote commercial forestry in
keeping with the timber requirement of the nation. Under the guidance of
Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka and
the patronage of Tharunyayata Hetak president Namal Rajapaksa,
Sandalwood (Santalum album) will be planted in places of religious
worship. To conserve these endangered plants, a public quoted company
Touchwood Investment PLC.(TI) has so far planted trees to cover all
22,400 religious locations in the country.
Sandalwood is a rare plant in the South Asian region which faces
extinction today. Its therapeutic properties are highly useful in
producing Ayurvedic medicines and beauty care products worldwide. It
holds a traditional ritualistic value too.
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Facts about
Sandalwood
* Sandalwood (Santalum album)
has been valued for thousands of years for its fragrance,
carving, and various purported medicinal
qualities.
* It still commands high prices an essential oil, but has lost
the once extensive use as a timber for fine woodworking. The
plant is widely cultivated and long lived, although harvest is
viable after 40 years.
* It is widely found across the India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia,
Australia and Pacific Islands.
* Indian sandalwood, is currently a threatened species and
consequently very expensive.
* Sandalwood essential oil provides perfumes with a striking
wood base note.
* Sandalwood is often used for rituals or ceremonies.
* Sandalwood scent is believed to transform one’s desires and
maintain a person’s alertness while in meditation. Sandalwood is
also one of the popular scents used for incense. |
Environment and Natural Resources Minister Ranawaka said the
intervention of the Tharunyayata Hetak program to plant Sandalwood is a
timely decision and it would help achieve the objectives of Haritha
Piyasa program enshrined in the Mahinda Chinthanaya.
The future belongs to the youth. No future could be thought of by
isolating and neglecting the young generation and the environment.
The program to reintroduce Sandalwood plants in all places of
religious worship will fulfil the objectives of the Mahinda Chinthana
that to conserve the threatened plant species of the land, National
Coordinator Sandalwood Reintroducing Project D.A. Hettiarachchi said.
Although most profit oriented companies cover up their true motives
with meagre social responsibility schemes, the TI was born with its
commitment towards Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR).
“We believe that the demand for our source product wood will increase
the forest cover of the planet and also generate more rainfall while
maintaining the water cycle and control global warming.
The Sandalwood Reintroducing Program will reap maximum result in
addressing environmental issues,” TI Chief Executive Officer Asitha
Koralage said. |
