Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2021-11-23

Declaration of new boundaries of the Ampara Sanctuary

- The Galoya Valley North‑East Sanctuary also known as Ampara Sanctuary with an area of 9,323.96 hectares has been declared as a Sanctuary in the year 1954 as per the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance. The Ampara town, which was thereafter established as a Central City under the Galoya Farmer Colonization Project, has developed extensively by now. Approval of the Cabinet has been granted on 2009‑05‑20 to remove the plots of lands identified as developed in the Ampara Development Plan for having developed the lands located in the Sanctuary for providing various common amenities of the Government and Government Affiliations such as Municipal Council grounds and temples and some plots of lands handed over to private parties under State sponsorship for development and declare new boundaries. Accordingly, the proposal made by the Minister of Wildlife & Forest Conservation to further maintain the densely forested area which is frequented by elephants and other wildlife and identified in the territory pertaining to the Ampara Development Plan as a part of the Sanctuary Zone, remove and declare the densely populated and developed areas in the extent of 46.81 hectares belonging to the Sanctuary and to publish the new boundaries in the Gazette and submit the same in Parliament for approval, was approved by the Cabinet.