A 15-year legal battle in Sri Lanka ended with an encouraging victory for the environment.
As explained by Mongabay, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court officially put an end to a controversial road project that was set to run through Wilpattu National Park, the country's oldest and largest protected area.
The road links the Puttalam district in the North Western province with the Mannar district in the Northern province and would cut the distance between them to 18-30 miles. After Sri Lanka's civil war ended in 2009, the government proposed redeveloping the road for public use, but environmentalists warned that such a decision would disrupt major elephant and leopard habitats while also violating the legal protections of the national park.
Several organizations filed complaints dating back to 2010, warning that these areas should not be disturbed in order to prevent further habitat loss. Sri Lanka's attorney general informed the Supreme Court in early May that the government no longer wished to move forward with the project, ending the complex legal battle.
"This is a historic win not only for Wilpattu but for all of Sri Lanka's conservation areas," Manori Gunawardena, a wildlife scientist and director at the environmental group Environmental Foundation Ltd., told Mongabay. "Protected areas are not just designated spaces; they are essential ecological sanctuaries, legally established to safeguard wildlife, habitats, and the well-being of future generations. This ruling reinforces the critical role of legal advocacy in environmental protection during an era when natural ecosystems face unprecedented threats."
The court ruling came just weeks after Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake pledged to reopen the Wilpattu road during an election rally, which drew immediate backlash from environmentalists.
The national park covers 324,000 acres and is home to species such as leopards, elephants, sloth bears, and numerous endemic birds and reptiles, according to Mongabay. Hemantha Withanage, senior adviser to the Center for Environmental Justice, told Mongabay that "roads across rich wilderness areas like Wilpattu would turn into death traps for wildlife."
"Roads are often promoted as tools for development but are frequently politically motivated and ecologically harmful," Withanage said. "They open fragile ecosystems to encroachment, poaching, immediately increasing human-wildlife conflicts."
This is a shining example of how conservation efforts can make a significant difference in the fight to protect the environment and maintain ecological balance. You can make a difference by exploring critical climate issues and getting involved in local efforts to strengthen your community. It's also important to support political candidates with climate-friendly ideals who can bring about change at even higher levels.
"Wilpattu is a symbol of resistance and resilience," Withanage told Mongabay. "But many other ecosystems may not be so fortunate unless we fundamentally rethink how we plan and implement development projects in ecologically sensitive areas."
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