The Department of Forest Conservation (
Sinhala: වන සංරක්ෂණ දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව ''Vana Sanrakshana Departhamenthuwa'') is a
non-ministerial government department
Non-ministerial government departments (NMGDs) are a type of department of the United Kingdom government that deal with matters for which direct political oversight has been judged unnecessary or inappropriate. They are headed by senior civil s ...
responsible for
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. Its mission is to protect and expand Sri Lanka's
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
s and
woodland
A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...
s.
The head of the department is the Conservator General, Dr. K.M.A.Bandara. It comes under the purview of the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Resource Conservation.
It has limited policing powers in protected forest areas to stop illegal poaching and logging, with the power to arrest suspects.
Forests
Some of the forests managed by the Department of Forest Conservation are:
*
Hurulu Man and Biosphere Reserve, 1977
*
Sinharaja Man and Biosphere Reserve, 1978
*
Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya (KDN), 2004
See also
*
Law enforcement in Sri Lanka
Law enforcement in Sri Lanka falls under the jurisdiction of the Sri Lanka Police, the national law enforcement agency along with local community police and Grama Niladhari.
Moreover, the Sri Lanka Police includes several specialized agencies ...
References
External links
Department of Forest Conservation
Forest Conservation
Sustainable forest management (SFM) is the management of forests according to the principles of sustainable development. Sustainable forest management has to keep the balance between three main pillars: ecological, economic and socio-cultural. ...
Forest Conservation
Sustainable forest management (SFM) is the management of forests according to the principles of sustainable development. Sustainable forest management has to keep the balance between three main pillars: ecological, economic and socio-cultural. ...
Nature conservation in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
Forestry in Sri Lanka
Environmental organisations based in Sri Lanka
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