SEEING THE WOOD FOR THE TREES | |||
Deep
in Sri Lanka’s war-ravaged Northeast, the art of sustainable forestry
thrives – and the initiative comes from the very top. After
almost two decades of war, displacement, poverty and strife, Sri
Lanka’s Northeast is one of the last places one might expect
environmental consciousness to be alive and well. What’s perhaps more
surprising is that this consciousness is being promoted by the leader of
one of the most feared rebel groups in the world. Often
in civil wars of this kind, natural resources are depleted, destroyed or
polluted – by the combatants themselves or by those forced to exploit
nature for their survival. Indeed, recent analysis has shown that many
conflicts, such as those in Angola, Sierra Leone and Cambodia, have been
funded by the exploitation of natural resources. In the case of Sri Lanka, where the Northeast has been a theatre of war for the better part of twenty years, one would expect widespread environmental disaster. Indeed, there can be no denying that war has led to much destruction but, perhaps surprisingly, there have also been efforts to protect the environment – by the most unlikely of groups and for the most unlikely reasons. Jungle
green The
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (also known as the ‘Tamil Tigers’),
one of the most efficient and daring rebel groups in the world, has
rarely fitted into any one category. The Liberation Tigers are, at once,
a guerrilla force, a conventional standing army, a de-facto government,
a political movement and, it now emerges, protectors of the environment. For
almost a decade now, even at the height of ferocious battles with the
Sri Lankan armed forces, one section of the LTTE has been busy planting
trees, managing existing tracts of forests and controlling logging in
areas under LTTE control. The Tamil Eelam Forest Protection Division is
a small but important part of the LTTE apparatus that operates alongside
other administrative divisions. What’s
special about the Forestry Protection Division is the particular
interest the LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhkaran, takes in its
operations. Rather than harvesting forest resources for short-term
profit, say to pay for arms as in other conflicts, Prabhakaran has
insisted on their protection. Just
why Prabhakaran would plant, and not cut, forests is more complex than
it would seem. Strategic reasons – forests provide excellent cover for
covert operations and ambush – come to mind but they don’t explain
just how serious the LTTE seems to take forests. Indeed, it could be
argued that the LTTE was just as successful, if not more, when fighting
in urban or rural terrains. Under
fire
Much
of the Northeast lies in the heart of Sri Lanka’s dry zone and is thus
devoid of the luscious vegetation found in other parts of the island.
Already sparsely vegetated, years of war have not helped. Prabhakaran,
it seems, took the decision to establish the Forest Protection Division
in order to stop and fix some of the disastrous effects of war. During
the war, the Sri Lankan armed forces set about systematically cleared
wide strips of forest alongside roads (to reduce the risk of ambush) and
used hundreds of thousands of logs to build bunkers and fortifications.
Worse still, they are said to have collaborated with illegal loggers,
sometimes felling trees for export to the South of the island. As
a result, the forest cover is currently estimated to be about 18.2 per
cent of the total land in the Northeast. Though relatively high by
global standards, this figure is only half of the pre-war estimate. What
is also of concern is that the Northeast’s forests contain
considerable natural wealth including several endemic species. In
addition, these forests are home to some 23 species of mangroves,
provide a temporary home to several species of migratory birds, and are
the abode of many animal species, including leopards and elephants. Forest
cover
Something
had to be done and Prabhakaran took the initiative to establish the
LTTE’s Forest Protection Division. The Division’s head, a shy man in
his thirties called Sakthi, gets particularly animated when he speaks of
the leader’s devotion to nature and the establishment of the Division.
“Our leader sees the saving of our natural heritage as an integral
part of our movement’s struggle. After all,” he explains, “what
would be the point of fighting for our land if we destroy our
environment in the process.” Sakthi
would best be described as a self-made forester. Assigned to the job by
Prabhakaran, he had no formal education in forestry or experience in the
field. Coming from a rural background, what he did have was knowledge of
the local environment and special instructions from Prabhakaran to
protect and preserve the region’s forests. Since
then Sakthi has overseen the planting of hundreds of thousands of teak,
mahogany, and neem seedlings. The latter, used widely for a variety of
medicinal purposes, was carried out on the special request of the LTTE
leader. The division also tries to plant or protect local species such
as Muthirai (Satin) and Paalai. Forestry,
if carried out correctly, makes sense in this region for several
reasons. “Not only can forests be used as a regular supply of firewood
and other wood products,” says Shakti, “timber plantations can also
yield considerable returns over the long term. Forests also ensure the
protection of biodiversity, prevent soil erosion, and provide a natural
habitat.” The
Forestry Division also plans to embark on a pilot community forestry
programme in which local people will be assigned plots of land to plant
trees. Ownership of the trees will be shared between the division and
the planter, but the latter will also be allowed to grow crops on the
land. Under
the canopy
That
these projects are being considered shows just how far Sri Lanka’s
peace process has come. The ceasefire has provided a perfect opportunity
for Sakthi and the Division to go about their important business
unhindered by the fear of attack.
The
peace process has also allowed the rest of the world to get a glimpse of
life behind the palmyrah curtain – the “uncleared” areas in which
the LTTE has been operating a de facto state for several years now. It
is certainly clear that the LTTE has been performing many of the
functions of government, including areas with long-term objectives such
as forestry. What’s
more, they seem to have been performing those functions very well.
Despite very meagre resources, the LTTE’s Forest Protection Division
has managed to plant hundreds of hectares of new plantations, and
rehabilitate vast sections of the Northeast’s dwindling forests. Now, as efforts are under way to rehabilitate and reconstruct the war-torn Northeast, it is imperative that these efforts to protect the region’s natural heritage are continued. If it is a question of not losing sight of the forest for the trees, even at times of extreme hardship, then the world has a lot to learn from the dedication of the foresters of Tamil Eelam. by a recent visitor to the North January, 2003 |