Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2019-08-13

Conservation of the existing mangrove and rehabilitation of the mangrove lands belonging to the State which are presently abandoned having used for the prawn farms and salterns

- The proposal made by the Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment, to arrive at a decision not to release the mangrove lands which are being administered by the Department of Forest Conservation and the Department of Wildlife Conservation for other development activities and to take a decision to release the lands identified for aquaculture farming after a proper study made by a Committee comprising of the representatives of the relevant Ministries, Departments and other Institutions, to direct the Divisional Secretaries and the Land Commissioner General, to handover the Government lands granted on lease basis for aquaculture and salterns and presently abandoned, without further extending the lease agreement, to the Forest Department to establish mangroves, and to instruct the relevant departments to implement specific mangrove rehabilitation programmes to increase the extent of mangrove lands by 10,000 Hectares, was approved by the Cabinet.