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Puvanya
Puvanya
Sep 29 2026
17Twenty more forests in Sri Lanka were declared protected yesterday (26) through a Gazette notification under the Wanaspathi national programme. The declaration took place at the Sandathenna Forestry College in Nuwara Eliya, under the patronage of Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi, as part of the national programme. Accordingly, 20 forests in the Nuwara Eliya, Kegalle, Ampara, Badulla, Vavuniya and Anuradhapura districts were declared protected. The forests cover a total area of nearly 9,538 hectares.
The Ministry of Environment has so far gazetted 93 forests as protected areas. With the 20 forests declared yesterday, the total area covered by protected forests is now close to 65,000 hectares. The Wanaspathi national programme commenced on World Environment Day 2025 and 86 forests have been declared protected over the past year.
